In Translation: School Leaders Learning in and from Leadership Practice While Confronting Pressing Policy Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-44
Author(s):  
Eleanor Drago-Severson ◽  
Patricia Maslin-Ostrowski
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
School Level ◽  
Leadership Practice ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Formal Leadership ◽  
Successful School

Background/Context Worldwide, principals face enormous challenges while translating policies and mandates for which they are accountable into their mission and practice. While some of these school-level challenges are technical, many are adaptive (Heifetz), requiring leaders and those in their care to grow their cognitive and affective (emotional) capacities so that they can manage change. Principals are under pressure to decipher problems quickly and create conditions to build capacity at ground level. Purpose/Research Question This research examined how principals framed pressing challenges they confronted in leadership practice (technical, adaptive, or mixed), and in what ways, if any, learning was part of their response. A pressing challenge is defined as a difficult problem named by leaders that they—themselves—identified as one they are currently facing or have recently faced. We explored how they helped other adults (e.g., teachers and staff) and themselves to manage change associated with meeting these challenges. Additionally, we queried how prior and new learning helped them lead while overcoming pressing challenges. Setting We recruited principals working in urban K–12 public schools in the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and Bermuda, sites focused on educational reform. Participants A purposeful sample of 13 principals (eight male, five female) representing primary, middle, and secondary levels was used. State department leaders and educational leadership faculty recommended principals who they perceived were “effective”—in other words, based on their knowledge and by reputation, these were successful school leaders. Research Design This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore the experience and perceptions of principals leading through challenges. Data Collection and Analysis Principals participated in in-depth semistructured interviews. After member checking, interview transcripts were coded and categories developed to capture themes and patterns. Findings Leaders’ pressing challenges have elements of what Heifetz calls adaptive, technical, and mixed. There was a recurring theme of leading to support change. Regardless of how these principals conceptualized challenges, they responded by creating customized professional learning experiences—informational (aimed at increasing skills and knowledge) and transformational learning (aimed at internal growth and capacity building)—for teachers, staff, and for themselves. While appreciating formal leadership preparation, they emphasized learning from informal experiences and focused on job-embedded learning in their schools. Conclusions/Recommendations Understanding technical and adaptive work, the ways that adults learn and grow, and how strategically to create space and spaces for continuous, customized experiential learning in schools (informational and transformational) offers a potential pathway for principals to build capacity and surmount pressing challenges.

scholarly journals Assessing the impacts of school entrepreneurial initiatives

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Pepin ◽  
Etienne St-Jean
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
School Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Attitudes ◽  
Enterprise Education ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Experimental Group

Purpose Many countries around the world have now introduced entrepreneurship into their curricula and educational practices, starting at the elementary school level. However, recent studies show the relative (un)effectiveness of K-12 enterprise education on diverse learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report on a research aimed at assessing the impacts of enterprise education on students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a quasi-experiment between May and June 2017 to assess the entrepreneurial potential of students at Elementary Cycle 3 (10–12 years) in Quebec, Canada. Relying on attitude theory, the authors used Athayde’s Attitudes toward Enterprise for Young People test, which assesses students’ entrepreneurial potential through four entrepreneurial attitudes (leadership, creativity, achievement and personal control). The experimental group consisted of 11 classes which had conducted an entrepreneurial project during the 2016–2017 school year (n = 208 students), while the 7 classes of the control group had not (n=151 students). Findings At first glance, data showed no difference between the two groups. Further investigation showed that private and Freinet (public) schools’ students, both from the control group, show significantly higher leadership scores than those of the experimental group. In-depth analyses also show that increasing the number of entrepreneurial projects significantly impacted three of the four attitudes assessed, although negligibly. Research limitations/implications Taken together, those results question the relevance of single entrepreneurial activities in developing students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. They also suggest the positive impact of a progressive, constructivist pedagogy in developing such entrepreneurial attitudes. Moreover, the paper raises several factors likely to impact students’ entrepreneurial attitudes for further research. Originality/value K-12 enterprise education remains an understudied context, largely crossed by unproven statements. This research contributes to understand and give direction to educational initiatives targeting the development of young students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.

The Role of Single-Sex Education in the Academic Engagement of College-Bound Women: A Multilevel Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Linda J. Sax ◽  
Tiffani A. Riggers ◽  
M. Kevin Eagan
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Research Question ◽  
School Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Single Sex ◽  
Single Sex Education

Background/Context As opportunities for public and private single-sex education have expanded, the debate surrounding this issue has become more heated. Recent reviews of research on single-sex education have concluded that the evidence is mixed, due in large part to the difficulty of attributing differences between single-sex and coeducational students specifically to the single-sex nature of their experience, as opposed to other differences between single-sex and coeducational schools and their attendees. This study comes at a time of renewed national interest in the value and appropriateness of single-sex education, especially as changes to Title IX have expanded the opportunities to establish single-sex classes and activities, and contributes new data with a focus exclusively on the academic engagement of female students from single-sex and coeducational high schools. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study addresses whether levels of academic engagement differ between single-sex and coeducational settings. Research Design The study uses self-reported survey data and multilevel modeling to address secondary school-level effects in a national sample of women entering college. Findings/Results The analyses suggest that attendance at a single-sex high school remains a significant predictor of academic engagement even after controlling for the confounding role of student background characteristics, school-level features, and peer contexts within each school. Specifically, women attending all-girls high schools report higher levels of academic engagement across numerous fronts: studying individually or in groups, interacting with teachers, tutoring other students, and getting involved in student organizations. However, these results may also be attributed to other features that differentiate single-sex from coeducational schools, such as smaller enrollments and racial/ethnic diversity of the schools in this study. Conclusions/Recommendations Although the results of this study support the claims that all-female environments provide a unique opportunity for young women to thrive, these results should be interpreted with some caution. Because of the limitations of the study, it is difficult to make definitive inferences about the relationship between single-sex education and academic engagement, and we cannot assert with confidence that school gender alone is responsible for higher academic engagement. The study points the way for future research that further distinguishes the role of individual and school-level attributes and ideally examines this issue using longitudinal data. Finally, given the current expansion of single-sex education in the public schools, future research ought to employ these methodological advances in studies on single-sex public education and should consider the consequences of single-sex settings for both female and male students.

Tapping the Principal Pipeline

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 695-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannie Myung ◽  
Susanna Loeb ◽  
Eileen Horng
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Leadership Competencies ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
School Level ◽  
Dade County ◽  
Leadership Potential ◽  
Principal Candidates ◽  
School Year

Purpose: In light of the difficulty many districts face finding quality principal candidates, this article explores an informal recruitment mechanism of teachers to become principals, which the authors call tapping. The authors assess the extent to which current teachers are being approached by school leaders to consider leadership and whether this tapping prompts these teachers to consider pursuing leadership positions. Research Design: This study uses survey and administrative data on teachers and principals from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools from the 2007–2008 school year. The authors describe the extent to which principals tap teachers to become school leaders. They use multiple regression with and without school fixed effects to model which teachers are most likely to be tapped and which principals are most likely to tap teachers. They also estimate the extent to which tapping is effective at motivating teachers to become school leaders. Findings: A vast majority of principals report having been tapped by their own principal when they were teachers. The authors find that principals tend to tap teachers who feel better equipped to take on the principalship and who have more school-level leadership experience, but they also disproportionately tap teachers who are male and share their ethnicity. Conclusions: The findings provide evidence that principals are capable of effectively identifying and encouraging teachers with strong leadership potential to enter the principal pipeline, although additional training and a succession management plan may help ensure that teachers are selected based on clear leadership competencies.

scholarly journals Assessment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Strand of the K-12 Program among Selected Public Schools in Zone 2 Division of Zambales

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 870-881
Author(s):  
Lyra Castillo Honrado ◽  
Adelia D. Calimlim
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

The study determined the impact of the STEM Strand implementation of senior high schools in the Division of Zambales. The study was limited to fifty secondary public-school teachers in Zone II.The study revealed that majority teacher-respondents, are generally young with only a minimum number of trainings attended. STEM trends, there were more males than females and a larger are married. There were no significant differences in the success of the STEM schools in Palauig, Botolan and Iba in the following domains:college preparation;integrated and innovative technology use; STEM-rich informal experiences; connections with industry and the world of work; well-prepared STEM teachers and professionalized teaching staff and  positive school community and culture of high expectations  for all. Based on the summary of findings and the conclusions arrived at, the researcher has offered the following recommendations that professional learning in the form of learning action cells and lesson study should be provided to relatively novice STEM teachers in order to expose them to effective instructional strategies and impact their actual classroom practices as opposed to cascading in-service trainings. Greater involvement of these partners through planning, implementation, and review should be targeted instead of only involving them for immersion activities. A more intensive evaluation of the STEM implementation following the Context-Input-Process-Product approach should be conducted to strengthen and confirm the findings of the study. A more study that would monitor the whole system as opposed to the present investigation’s focus on teacher perception would lend greater credence to the results.

Practice-Driven Data: Lessons from Chicago's Approach to Research, Data, and Practice in Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Eliza Moeller ◽  
Alex Seeskin
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Chicago Public Schools ◽  
School Year ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University

Background/Context There is a body of evolving research on how educators use data for improvement, with many examples in the literature about how educators learn to use a routine of data-driven cycles of inquiry to make smart improvements to their practice. This article is not an alternative structure for engaging in cycles of inquiry, but rather a series of critical considerations for school leaders about how, why, and with what supports they can best organize their schools to use data for improvement. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The study addresses the research question, “What are the conditions necessary for school leaders to use data to improve student outcomes?” To demonstrate our concept of practice-driven data, we use Chicago Public Schools as a case study of school district that worked and continues to work with its research and practice partners to implement a process using data-based indicators with the goal of improving practice and ultimately student outcomes. Research Design In this article, as authors we are participant observers of the work of bringing data to schools across various projects and many years. We write this article as leaders that are based in the University of Chicago and work with Chicago Public Schools, but are independent of the district. We rely on notes from our daily practices, observations from our experiences, and documents from the practices supporting Chicago Public School leaders. Conclusions/Recommendations We build the article around five lessons that form an approach to the use of practice-driven data: First, it is important to build capacity to facilitate hard conversations that use data to spur collective action, which requires an emphasis on trust, collaboration, and culture. Second, the preponderance of available data and the scarce resource of time require that educators and leaders prioritize research-based indicators that matter most for student success. Third, educators at all levels of the school system can use relevant research evidence to make meaning of the data to guide their practice, and to develop shared ownership over the implications of the research on improving student outcomes. Fourth, using data effectively to guide practice requires that educators and leaders use the right data at the right time of the school year. Finally, there is no more important use of data in public schools than as a tool to identify and stop inequities that continue to leave the most vulnerable students further and further behind.

Increasing Global Awareness through Professional Learning Community: A Study from LATTICE

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-86
Author(s):  
Dion Efrijum Ginanto
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Context ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
School Level ◽  
Global Awareness ◽  
Cross Cultural Education ◽  
K 12

Using three components of PLCs by DuFour (2004), I explored the learning communities at LATTICE (Linking All Types of Teachers to International, Cross-cultural Education). DuFour (2004) argued that PLCs is a form of learning communities held at the school level to improve the school quality. It means PLCs happen in the school context. However, Easton (2011) contended that learning community could happen inside or outside schools. This paper intends to analyze a learning community at LATTICE in creating more global perspective teachers. The study found that PLC s can also occur outside schools by including participants other than teachers. Based on the interviews and observations analysis, this study found that LATTICE did reflect PLCs and significantly helped K-12 educators foster their global understanding.

Strengthening Leadership and Teaching Capacity Through Community and College Relationships

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-201
Author(s):  
Joy Lundeen Ellebbane ◽  
Carmen Colón ◽  
Wendy Pollock
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Early Childhood Programs ◽  
Learning Partnerships ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
History Of

As more young children enter public education, leaders and principals need to understand informal modes of education that have documented success with young children. In New York City, this need has become more urgent as city funding increased the number of early childhood programs in public schools. With this increase, school leaders need to extend their learning to support these teachers, children, and families. Bank Street College has a long history of work in these spaces and supporting the development of teachers and leaders in these communities. This chapter uses two case studies to outline professional learning models, one with a network of early childhood programs and the other with a K-8 school. The rationale is that change occurs through thoughtful and supportive learning experiences that include reflection and time to consider what is needed to alter teacher/leader practices. The results of these programs can be used by school leaders to support their work with early childhood teachers and form professional learning partnerships with colleges and external organizations.

scholarly journals Degree of practicing authentic leadership among public school leaders from the teachers’ viewpoint

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1175-1193
Author(s):  
Adel Al-Dhuwaihi ◽  
Hajar Almohaisin
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public School ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Intermediate School ◽  
Leadership Practice ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Years Of Service

This study aimed to determine the degree of practicing authentic leadership among public-school leaders from teachers’ viewpoint while also revealing whether statistically significant differences exist between the respondents’ means of the degree of authentic leadership practice due to number of years of service, specialization, and/or scholastic stage. A descriptive-analytical approach was adopted. The study population consisted of teachers. A stratified random sample of 351 female teachers was chosen. The questionnaire used consisted of four main axes that included the four authentic leadership elements: self-awareness, relational transparency, the internalized moral perspective, and balanced processing. The results indicated a high degree of the practice of the four dimensions of authentic leadership among the leaders as well as the presence of statistically significant differences between teachers’ mean responses about the degree of authentic leadership practice among the leaders of public-schools due to the number of years of service in favor of the teachers whose years of service ranged between 5 and 10 years as well as academic level in favor of intermediate school teachers. The researchers also offer several recommendations.   Keywords: Authentic leadership; school principals; practice leadership;

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