scholarly journals The Influence of Elementary School Leadership in Promoting a Learner-Centered Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-82
Author(s):  
L Bawm Lwi
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Principal Work

This is a qualitative study which investigated how teachers demonstrate "learner-centered" classroom instruction and how they are influenced by the school principal as a transformational leader in promoting a learner-centered classroom. The respondents were eight participants who were chosen based on their purposive experiences and had been teaching at the Elementary School of Silliman University. Face to face interviews provided the primary method of data collection with the selected teachers comprising the primary source of data. This study shows that teachers' opinions concerning their principal's transformational leadership behaviors are positive in general. The results revealed that the teachers perceive their principal as transformational leadership influential in creating or maintaining a classroom with a "learner-centered" instruction. The findings signify that there is a shift among the teachers from positional leadership to fluid, teamwork, collaborative, and emergent leadership that is spread across teachers. This was evident from the teachers' perspective, which described the leadership as cooperative, supportive, trusting, participatory, democratic decision-making, empowering, shared management, and professional learning communities. In school, therefore, teachers and principal work together to develop effective learner-centered classroom practices, and they study together what things work useful in the classroom.

COVID-19, School Leadership in Crisis?

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-341
Author(s):  
Aslamiah ◽  
Muhyani Rizalie ◽  
Celia Cinantya ◽  
Rizky Amelia
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Elementary School Principal ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Data Presentation ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
The Subject

This study aims to describe the pattern and leadership strategies of principals in elementary schools in dealing with the crisis in the Covid-19 pandemic.  The method used in this study is qualitatively descriptive. The subject of this study was the principal and teacher at Sabilal Muhtadin Elementary School in Banjarmasin City. The data collection techniques used are interviews, observations, and documentation studies.  Test the validity of the data using the triangulation technique. Data analysis uses Miles & Huberman analysis techniques that consist of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. This research shows that the principal has a working philosophy that is to work for worship. Strategies implemented in its leadership include transparency, empowerment of teachers and employees, communication, and motivation. The conclusion is that elementary school principal Sabilal Muhtadin is transformational leadership based on Islam. The strategies used for its implementation are transparency, empowerment of teachers and employees, communication, and motivation to maintain excellence when facing crises in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Promise of Protocols in the Virtual Classroom

2021 ◽  
pp. 812-836
Author(s):  
Harriette Thurber Rasmussen ◽  
Amy Baeder ◽  
Margaret A. Hunter ◽  
Jane Chadsey
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Professional Learning Network

Learner engagement in online learning environments tends to be erratic and dependent upon the learners themselves, not necessarily fostered by the macrostructures that house the virtual classroom. Protocols—which the authors term microstructures—can bring engagement strategies traditionally seen in face-to-face classrooms to the virtual world of online adult learning. This chapter explores how the use of microstructures supports learner-centered engagement, illustrated through a case study of a successful virtual professional learning network. This chapter also introduces the concept of accountability for participation, its role in creating engaged learners, and how microstructures can foster the psychological safety required for high levels of engagement and performance in the virtual classroom.

The Promise of Protocols in the Virtual Classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 241-263
Author(s):  
Harriette Thurber Rasmussen ◽  
Amy Baeder ◽  
Margaret A. Hunter ◽  
Jane Chadsey
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Professional Learning Network

Learner engagement in online learning environments tends to be erratic and dependent upon the learners themselves, not necessarily fostered by the macrostructures that house the virtual classroom. Protocols—which the authors term microstructures—can bring engagement strategies traditionally seen in face-to-face classrooms to the virtual world of online adult learning. This chapter explores how the use of microstructures supports learner-centered engagement, illustrated through a case study of a successful virtual professional learning network. This chapter also introduces the concept of accountability for participation, its role in creating engaged learners, and how microstructures can foster the psychological safety required for high levels of engagement and performance in the virtual classroom.

scholarly journals Dual-Focused Transformational Leadership, Teachers’ Satisfaction of the Need for Relatedness, and the Mediating Role of Social Support

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Schoch ◽  
Roger Keller ◽  
Alex Buff ◽  
Jasper Maas ◽  
Pamela Rackow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Received Social Support

Basic psychological need satisfaction is essential for the wellbeing of teachers and motivation at work. Transformational leadership contributes to the development and maintenance of a respectful, constructive atmosphere, a supportive working climate, and has been suggested to be a crucial factor for the satisfaction of the need for relatedness of employees. Transformational leadership is also considered as an ideal leadership style in the school setting, but most studies did not distinguish between individual and team effects of this leadership behavior. In the present study, we applied the dual-focused model of transformational leadership and focused on social processes to address the question of whether individual- and group-focused transformational leadership behavior contribute differently to satisfaction of the need for relatedness of teachers. Based on longitudinal data with three measurement points across one school year of N = 1,217 teachers, results of structural equational models supported the notion of the dual effects of transformational leadership: Individual-focused transformational leadership was directly positively related to change in satisfaction of the need for relatedness of teachers. The relationship between group-focused transformational leadership and change in satisfaction of the need for relatedness was mediated by received social support from team members. These findings emphasize the importance of school leadership behavior of principals for satisfaction of the need for relatedness of teachers. The satisfaction of the need for relatedness is, therefore, not only satisfied through the direct interaction between the school principal and the individual teacher but also through interactions of the school principal with the whole team. Our results confirm that school principals should focus their leadership behavior both on individual need satisfaction of teachers as well as on team development.

School principals’ understandings of student difference and diversity and how these understandings influence their work

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-534
Author(s):  
Katina Pollock ◽  
Patricia Briscoe
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
School Site ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Citizens

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how Ontario principals make sense of difference within student populations and how this sensemaking influences how they do their work. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a qualitative study in Ontario, Canada that included 59 semistructured interviews with school principals from English public, secular school districts in Southern Ontario. Findings Four themes emerged in principals’ descriptions of student populations: perceiving everyone as the same, or homogeneous; perceiving visible differences associated with particular religions, race and cultures; perceiving invisible or less visible differences, such as academic differences, socioeconomic status, mental health issues, gender identity and sexual orientation; and perceiving both visible and less visible differences through an inclusive lens. When asked about how their understanding of difference influenced how they did their work, principals’ responses varied from not influencing their work at all to influencing practices and activities. Participants’ context – both personal and local – influenced some of the work they did in their role as school principal. Lastly, multiple sources of disconnect emerged between how principals understood difference and the practices that they engage in at their school site; between their sensemaking about difference and diversity and preparing students for the twenty-first century competencies as global citizens; and between principals’ understanding of difference and diversity and existing provincial policy. Research limitations/implications Study insights not only contribute to an existing body of literature that examines principals’ sensemaking around difference, but also extend this line of inquiry to consider how this sensemaking influences their professional practice. These findings pose additional research questions about how to approach principal professional learning for inclusive and equitable education. For example, even though principals are contractually responsible for students in their care, why is it that their efforts toward equitable and inclusive schooling appear to be limited to the school site and not the wider community? Practical implications Study findings can be used to inform principal preparation programs and professional learning opportunities. Namely, these programs should provide the skill development required as well as the time needed for principals to reflect on their local context and beliefs, and to consider how their local context and beliefs are connected to larger societal efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Social implications School leadership is integral to creating and building more inclusive and equitable public education that improves all students’ success at school. As Ontario’s general population becomes increasingly diverse, it is imperative that principals support success for all students; this can only happen if they understand the complexity of difference within their student populations and beyond, how to address these complexities and how their own understandings and beliefs influence their leadership practices. Originality/value Although other papers have examined how principals make sense of difference and diversity in student bodies, this paper also explores how this sensemaking influences how school leaders do their work.

School leadership and its impact on student achievement

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 941-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vartika Dutta ◽  
Sangeeta Sahney
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
School Climate ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Teacher Job Satisfaction ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of teacher job satisfaction and school climate in mediating the relative effects of principals’ instructional and transformational leadership practices on student outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Guided by strong evidence from theories on school leadership and work psychology, the authors hypothesized relations among dimensions of principals’ instructional and transformational leadership behaviors, teachers’ perception of the school climate (social and affective, and physical environment), their job satisfaction and student achievement. The benefits of the principal’s leadership behaviors for student achievement are primarily hypothesized as indirect, with either a weak or statistically non-significant direct positive effect on student outcomes. Path modeling was applied to validate a mediated-effects model using cross-sectional survey data (306 principals, 1,539 teachers) obtained from 306 secondary schools in the two Indian metropolitan cities of New Delhi and Kolkata. Findings – Principal leadership behaviors were not associated directly with either teacher job satisfaction or school-aggregated student achievement. Rather, the transformational leader behavior showed an indirect effect, through the social and affective component of the school climate, on teacher job satisfaction. The physical climate, however, appeared to play a dominating role in mediating the instructional leadership effects on teacher job satisfaction. Comparing the relative indirect effect sizes of the instructional and transformational leadership behaviors on student achievement, principals appear to favor the former approach. Originality/value – This study provides further empirical evidence that instructional leadership better captures the impact of school leadership on student outcomes, when compared to its transformational counterpart. By identifying the relative effects of different leadership practices, school leaders and educational practitioners can focus more on altering the distribution and frequency of those practices that work best for ameliorating student achievement levels.

Transformational Leadership Initiatives Driving P-12 School Change

2020 ◽  
pp. 133-162
Author(s):  
Ted Wardell ◽  
James Bevere ◽  
Julia McCarty ◽  
William Smith ◽  
Tracy Mulvaney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
School Change ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
School Principal ◽  
High School Principal ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
Leadership Initiatives ◽  
Sat Preparation

In this chapter, educational leaders who are driving school change through transformational leadership initiatives share their stories. The authors range in their respective roles with an elementary school classroom teacher, a math-science departmental supervisor, a high school principal and a district superintendent. Each case study describes the implementation of a transformative leadership project from the main idea and impetus driving each project to the implementation methods and outcomes of each respective endeavor. The first project describes a teacher's addition of cultural-driven morning meetings to an elementary school classroom. The teacher discusses the necessity and how-to of implementing culture-driven morning meetings in the classroom and reflects on the overall impact on her students. A school superintendent leads the reader through his process of increasing rigor at the start of high school through the implementation of Advanced Placement (AP) courses for ninth-grade students. Next, a high school principal discusses an innovative blended learning program in a low socioeconomic district including the special challenges experienced. Finally, a high school math supervisor describes the school-wide implementation of Khan Academy for SAT preparation.

scholarly journals Denying Special Education to Students in Need: A Case of Accountability, Compliance, and Fear in a Texas Elementary School

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. DeMatthews ◽  
David S. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
Accountability Policy ◽  
Texas Education ◽  
School Leadership Practices ◽  
Education Accountability

Accountability policies have impacted school leadership practices both positively and negatively. In Texas, the adoption of a special education accountability policy led many schools and districts to delay or denial of special education to eligible students. This article includes an undisguised case describing the Texas Education Agency’s district performance indicator that influenced districts to lower the percentage of students provided with special education. This case provides the context for a fictional scenario of a newly hired elementary school principal who is pressured to maintain low special education rates by her director supervisor and superintendent. The case explores special education law, top-down accountability, the intersectional identities of vulnerable students and families, and ethical decisions confronted by principals seeking to ensure all students are successful.

Improved Competency of School Principals Through Construction of Work Group

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-41
Author(s):  
Teresa Lynne
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Work Group ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Principal Work ◽  
School Supervision

The development of school supervision competence through the construction of school supervisors in the activities of the school Principal Work Group (PWG) has been conducted. This research aims to find out: (1) The principal competency of the school principals after the construction of school supervisors in the PWG activities in Sangkuang Island, East Kutai District (2) to know the constraints of increasing competency of principal in Sangkuang Island, East Kutai Regency. This research is a qualitative study, conducted at the state Elementary school in Sangkuang Island, Sangkulirang Sub-district, East Kutai District consisting of 4 schools: (a)Elementary School 003 Sangkulirang; (b) Elementary School 006Sangkulirang, (c) Elementary School 007 Sangkulirang, and d)Elementary School 012 Sangkulirang. The research took place fromJanuary 2017 to July 2017. Data collection techniques throughinterviews, observations and documentation. Data were analyzedusing the Miles and Huberman analysis Model which is an interactivedata analysis consisting of three activities namely data reduction, datapresentation, and conclusion withdrawal. The results showed thatthrough the construction of school supervisors in the PWG activities,the school's supervision competence increased. The headmaster hasbeen able to make the supervision program properly, implementingsupervision with various techniques, whereas in the follow-up theprincipal has done it according to the needs. Construction of schoolsupervisors on PWG activities, making the atmosphere more relaxed,the principals motivated, discuss, brainstorm with supervisors andfellow school principals to solve the problems faced. Principalsdemonstrate a better work ethic and responsibility, unyielding toobstacles. In teaching and learning activities, they can direct teachersto innovate learning innovations. Obstacles are faced in the effort toimprove the performance of primary principal in Sangkuang IslandEast Kutai District is (a) The geographical location separated by thesea and the constraints, the weather caused the schedule of watchdogvisits is often delayed, (b) Teachers who are given additional duties asprincipals are partially not eligible to be the principal, seen from thepoint of competence or other requirements, this is done. Manyteachers who are not willing to become primary principals for remoteareas, (c) The school principal feels difficult to divide time because, inaddition to the task of managing the school, the school principal alsohas a teaching obligation as much as 6 hours of instruction.

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