scholarly journals Latina/o School Principals as Instructional Leaders

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Niño ◽  
Frank Hernandez ◽  
Fernando Valle ◽  
Jon McPhetres

Focusing on the fundamental purpose of schools as student learning, this exploratory study attempts to better understand the role of Latino principals’ activities that are centered on the teaching and learning process. Specifically, the authors were interested in comparing the instructional leadership literature (what do instructional leaders do) and analyze the time and tasks that describe how Latino principals spend their time, and then compare these activities to Yosso’s (2005) cultural wealth model. Findings from our study revealed how principals create structures to prioritize instructional time by focusing on the relational aspect of the profession. Top activities where Latina/o principals spend most of their time include 33% in classrooms, 25% connecting with students, 23% pushing paperwork, 18% planning, 16% in meetings, 15% teaching training, and 14% in professional development. Additionally, our study highlights barriers for Latino school leaders indicating activities to reduce their time in meetings, student discipline, paperwork, and teacher administrator discipline.

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Harris ◽  
Michelle Jones ◽  
Kenny Soon Lee Cheah ◽  
Edward Devadason ◽  
Donnie Adams

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the findings from a small-scale, exploratory, study of principals’ instructional leadership practice in Malaysian primary schools. The dimensions and functions of instructional leadership, explicitly explored in this study, are those outlined in the Hallinger and Murphy’s (1985) model. Design/methodology/approach This study is part of a larger international, comparative research project that aims to identify the boundaries of the current knowledge base on instructional leadership practice and to develop a preliminary empirically based understanding of how principals conceive and enact their role as instructional leaders in Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 primary school principals in Malaysia. The sample comprised principals from 14 Government National schools (SK), nine principals from Chinese schools (SJKC) and seven principals from Tamil schools (SJKT). The qualitative data were initially analysed inductively, and subsequently coded using ATLAS.ti to generate the findings and conclusions. Findings The findings showed that the Malaysian principals, who were interviewed, understood and could describe their responsibilities relating to improving instructional practice. In particular, they talked about the supervision of teachers and outlined various ways in which they actively monitored the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. These data revealed that some of the duties and activities associated with being a principal in Malaysia are particularly congruent with instructional leadership practices. In particular, the supervision of teaching and learning along with leading professional learning were strongly represented in the data. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale, exploratory study involving 30 principals. Practical implications There is a clear policy aspiration, outlined in the Malaysian Education Blueprint, that principals should be instructional leaders. The evidence shows that principals are enacting some of the functions associated with being an instructional leader but not others. Originality/value The findings from this study provide some new insights into the principals’ instructional leadership practices in Malaysia. They also provide a basis for further, in-depth exploration that can enhance the knowledge base about principals’ instructional leadership practices in Malaysia.


2019 ◽  
pp. 194277511986825
Author(s):  
Sharon J. Damore ◽  
Barbara Stacy Rieckhoff

This study extends previous work and builds upon the use of a prescribed coaching tool in an effort to build the capacity of school leaders in the role of instructional coaches. By using a reflective interview process and structured protocol, the authors present findings to suggest administrators need more intentional training to strengthen their role as instructional leaders. The results were organized under three themes: (a) instructional leadership growth, (b) teacher growth, and (c) professional conversations. Historically, minimal training that utilizes explicit tools and strategies to strengthen administrator’s roles as instructional leaders has been provided.


1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland S. Persson

This article reports an exploratory study into applied music teaching at a tertiary level. The study was staged as a case study where the case comprises one performance lecturer of clarinet and eight of her students. The focus of the study is how a performance teacher with no formal teacher training fares in the training of musical performers, how students respond, and what are the particular successful or unsuccessful issues in ‘commonsense teaching’. The data were gathered through participant observation and questionnaires. The findings suggest that the distinction between the role of the pedagogue (skilled in the dynamics and principles of teaching and learning) and the role of the expert performer (skilled mainly in the domain of performance) is an essential distinction to make. However, it is also a distinction that traditional performance teaching at a tertiary level seldom makes. The article concludes by tentatively proposing some pedagogical considerations for applied music teaching, as drawn from the case study.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (sup1) ◽  
pp. S49-S64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Mestry ◽  
Isavanie Moonsammy-Koopasammy ◽  
Michele Schmidt

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. 293-307
Author(s):  
Dexter Silam ◽  
Vincent Pang ◽  
Denis Lajium

In the 21st century, the basic concept of instructional leadership has not changed much but its needs are still relevant and have become an important pulse for principals’ leadership towards the achievement of curricular excellence in schools. This study aims to identify instructional leadership practices and their implementation by island school principals in the state of Sabah. The qualitative study using this case study approach involved principals, senior curriculum assistants, and school subject teachers as study participants. The study data collected through interview, document analysis, and observation methods were processed and analyzed using ATLAS software. ti 8. The findings of the study show that the practice of instructional leadership in terms of defining the mission of the school, managing instructional programs, and creating a positive school climate is very important to ensure school excellence can be achieved. Principals of island schools should practice instructional leadership in their leadership not just to achieve curricular excellence but as a platform to perform their responsibilities as change leaders in schools in driving schools towards effective schools according to current changes. In conclusion, the instructional leadership practices of school principals are very important in ensuring curriculum excellence and the effectiveness of teachers' teaching and learning can be achieved in a planned and systematic manner and able to keep up with the current changes in the context of global education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 234
Author(s):  
Wachyudi Achmad

The curriculum has an important role in the education process. And itshould play a role and be anticipatory and adaptive to changes andadvances in science and technology. Curriculum and learning are twoimportant aspects of educational activities. Both discuss what and howeducation should be carried out and blend with local wisdom. Therefore,along with changes and developments in the curriculum from time to timean educator must be able to understand and implement it well. In order tobe in accordance with what is expected, there needs to be a discussion ofcurriculum development from Kurikum 1994, Competency BasedCurriculum (KBK) 2004, Education Unit Level Curriculum (KTSP), andCurriculum 2013 until now. This paper tries to provide one solution to theproblems of the 2013 curriculum implementation. Instructional leadershipof the Pasuruan City Islamic Senior High School principals is recommendedto be one solution to the effectiveness of the 2013 curriculumimplementation. Instructional Leadership is the leadership of the madrasahead who prioritizes teaching and learning in leadership. The head of themadrasa in favor of academics, instructional leadership is believed to beable to solve the problems of the implementation of the 2013 curriculum.Prioritizing the involvement of the headmaster in orientation and trainingfor 2013 curriculum implementation is recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Chabalala ◽  
Parvathy Naidoo

Background: This study was designed to explore teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences regarding their principals’ instructional leadership practices aimed at improving curriculum delivery in schools. Literature on instructional leadership indicates how failing schools can be turned around to become successful if principals consider instructional leadership to be their primary role within schools. The authors, therefore, argue that it is the responsibility of principals to ensure that learners’ results are improved through intervention and support provided by the principals to capacitate teachers and middle managers in delivering the curriculum effectively. Globally, literature promotes the significance of the continued professional development of teachers, and many scholars allude to the pivotal role principals or school heads play in teachers’ skills advancement.Aim: The aim of this article was to identify principals’ instructional practices that improve curriculum delivery in schools, which are examined through the experiences of teachers and middle managers.Setting: The study was conducted in two schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa.Method: The researchers employed a qualitative approach, utilising three domains of instructional leadership as its framework, and these are defining the school mission statement, managing the instructional programme and promoting a positive school learning climate. Four teachers and four middle managers were purposefully selected at two schools for data collection conducted through semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using thematic content analysis.Results: Three themes emerged, namely, understanding good instructional leadership practices, teacher development as an instructional practice and instructional resource provisioning.Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of teachers and middle managers in understanding that principals are merely not school managers or administrators, but rather instructional leaders whose primary role is to direct teaching and learning processes in schools. Principals need to create time within their constricted schedules to become instructional leaders, which is their main purpose in schools. If the roles and responsibilities of middle managers are not explicit, their ability to simultaneously perform the dual task of being teachers and middle managers will be compromised.


Author(s):  
Parvathy Naidoo ◽  
Nadine Petersen

This study set out to explore primary school principals’ instructional leadership. The study addressed a key issue in the school improvement literature, pertaining to the curriculum leadership of principals. The literature is not entirely clear about which leadership characteristic is more likely to produce the most favourable outcomes in terms of improved learner outcomes, in other words, how the curriculum has been implemented and how leadership in this regard has been effected. The article argues that robust training and development in instructional leadership practices become necessary to support school leaders in this regard. In South Africa, based on numerous reports of poor learner outcomes in schools, we question whether principals possess the necessary skills required to lead and manage curriculum in schools. In this article, the views of five principals, who have completed the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership and Management (ACESLM) programme, are examined. Findings indicate that not all principals who participated in the study are fully conversant with their roles and responsibilities as instructional leaders. They mainly interpret their functions to be purely managerial and to be leaders and administrators of schools. Thus, whilst some understanding of instructional leadership was apparent in some of the principals’ responses, it is the authors’ views that ACESLM, as a leadership development programme, needs to be redesigned to include greater focus on instructional leadership.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedat Gumus

It is well reported in the literature that professional development activities have great potential to increase teachers competencies in different areas, resulting in greater learning opportunities for students. In Turkey, however, teachers participation in professional development activities is significantly lower compared to almost all developed countries. In this context, this study aims to explore the different teacher- and school-level factors associated with teachers participation in professional development activities in Turkey by using a nationally representative data set from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and employing a multi-level statistical analysis with Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Results of the study show that several teacher- and school-level factors are significantly associated with teachers level of participation in professional development activities in Turkey. Specifically, the significant role of school principals in teachers professional development is explored. It is therefore suggested that school principals should be educated on the importance of in-service professional development activities for teachers and their significant role in this matter.


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