abstract: ABSTRACT Education policymakers at the national level have initiated reforms in K-12 education for that past several years that have focused on teacher quality and teacher evaluation. More recently, reforms have included legislation that focuses on administrator quality as well. Included in far-reaching recent legislation in Arizona is a requirement that administrators be evaluated on a standards-based evaluation system that is linked to student outcomes. The end result is an annual summative measure of administrator effectiveness that impacts job retention. Because of this, Arizona administrators have become concerned about rapidly becoming proficient in the new evaluation systems. Administrators rarely have the explicit professional development opportunities they need to collaborate on a shared understanding of these new evaluation systems. This action research study focused on a group of eight administrators in a small urban district grappling with a new, complex, and high-stakes administrator evaluation that is a component of an all-encompassing Teacher Incentive Fund Grant. An existing professional learning time was engaged to assist administrators in lessening their concerns and increasing their understanding and use of the evaluation instrument. Activities were designed to engage the administrators in dynamic, contextualized learning. Participants interacted in a group to interpret the meaning of the evaluation instrument share practical knowledge and support each other's acquisition understanding. Data were gathered with mixed methods. Administrators were given pre-and post-surveys prior to and immediately after this six-week innovation. Formal and informal interviews were conduct throughout the innovation. Additionally, detailed records in the form of meeting records and a researcher journal were kept. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated to validate findings. Results identified concerns and understanding of administrators as they attempted to come to a shared understanding of the new evaluation instrument. As a result of learning together, their concerns about the use of the instrument lessened. Other concerns however, remained or increased. Administrators found the process of the Administrator Learning Community valuable and felt their understanding and use of the instrument had increased. Intense concerns about the competing priorities and initiatives led to the administrators to consider a reevaluation of the competing initiatives. Implications from this study can be used to help other administrators and professional development facilitators grappling with common concerns. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Leadership and Innovation 2014

Undertaken from a distributed leadership theory perspective, this qualitative study attempts to gain understanding regarding how heads of department develop educators within the organisational context of different schools and departments. A Based on existing literature, a detailed discussion is provided on what professional development is, the conditions needed for effective professional development, professional development strategies, distributed leadership theory and the functioning of heads of department and subject departments within the current policy framework for professional development in South African Schools. Two fee-paying and two non-fee-paying schools were selected and interviews were conducted with heads of department from single subject (unitary) and multi-subject (federal or confederate) departments in each school. The data was transcribed, coded, inductively analysed and related to the research question(s). A full description and analysis of the data is provided. The findings confirm that with change being demanded from above and from outside schools, it cannot be ignored that heads of department are a key link between principals and the teachers in their classrooms. This supports the view that heads of department have formal responsibilities and accountabilities and that they wield a horizontal and a vertical influence. Various recommendations are made to improve professional development practice by heads of department in particular and in the education system in general. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

Leadership capacity may be enhanced when school staff members work together as a professional learning community (PLC). Leadership style may impact how well a school staff work as a professional learning community. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between principal leadership style and the level of PLC on 18 campuses across the US that were working on becoming PLCs. Staff members answered questions from two surveys which measured the level of leadership capacity, leadership style of the principal, and level of professional learning community within the schools. Questions regarding leadership capacity and leadership style were taken from the Leadership Capacity School Survey. Questions designed to measure the level of PLC on a campus were taken from the Professional Learning Community Assessment. The product-moment correlation coefficient or Pearson r was calculated between the answers from the questions from both surveys. The results indicated that when a capacity building principal is working with staff members to create a PLC, a higher level of PLC development is evidenced. When principals used collaboration with their staff, their schools operated at a lower level as a PLC. These results encourage principals to consider building capacity among their staff members if they want to create professional learning communities on their campus.

As education reform initiatives around the world are becoming more focused on developing teacher professional development and school professional learning communities (PLCs), the role of school principal leadership in implementing reforms related to the government vision of teacher professional development and school PLC has come to be seen as important. This has also led to the establishment of leadership training programmes for school principals to assist these principals with their new role as leaders of school reform implementation. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the school principals' roles in leading teacher professional development in four public schools in similar socio-economic contexts, but with different levels of learner achievement, within the greater Cape Town area. Towards this end, the thesis relates professional development practices to the relevant policy - the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Professional Education and Development (the 'Framework'), to the Advanced Certificate of Education: School of Management and Leadership (ACE-SML) training curriculum and to the idea of a professional learning community, which is promoted by this policy and this training course. The research reported in this thesis draws on Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, capital, and doxa to conceptualise and describe the relationships between the various players and the ways in which these relationships affect teacher professional development practices and school PLC culture in the participating schools. Findings from this research reveal similarities and differences between the schools with regard to the roles of school senior leaders and the schools' approaches to teacher professional development practices. Ironically, government policy is taken less seriously in the three schools that achieve higher learning outcomes than in the school that achieves weaker outcomes. Instead of conforming to the policy, the approach in each of the three higher achieving schools is based on the history and values of the particular school, the preferences of the principals and whether or not the principal attended the school management and leadership training course.

Principals need to possess leadership skills and behaviors that help set expectations for collaborative work. The problem in this case study was that little was known about the collaboration-building behaviors principals use that promote effective collaboration between members of the school community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the behaviors principals exhibit when building collaboration through the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The conceptual framework was based on 3 elements: leadership styles and approaches, collaboration, and the implementation of effective PLCs. The primary research question explored how principal behaviors contribute to collaborative professional learning communities. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 6 elementary principals from a Mid-Atlantic State. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and document review of PLC structures. Data were coded using a Microsoft Word Doc Data Extract tool and analyzed for themes using an inductive process. Emergent themes for building collaboration were identified as leadership traits, vision, time, collaborative structures, culture, and the need for professional learning. Results suggest that shared leadership, vision, collective learning, and supportive conditions influence the effective development of PLCs. As a result, professional learning opportunities are recommended for school leaders on strategies that successfully develop supportive and collaborative structures in schools. Implications for social change are that PLCs may strengthen professional practice in classrooms, schools, districts, and communities.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of school principals on the impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) on collective teacher efficacy in two Indiana schools.</p> <p>This study’s design is grounded in the frameworks of DuFour & Eaker’s (1998) six elements of PLCs and Donohoo’s (2017a) six enabling factors of collective teacher efficacy. </p> Using the methodology of grounded theory, this exploratory, multiple-case study aimed to understand the experiences of principals who have implemented PLCs, and their perceptions of the impact of PLC implementation on collective teacher efficacy. By examining elements of PLCs to determine any perceived impact on six enabling factors of collective teacher efficacy through structured interview responses, the research findings revealed that principals perceived PLCs to impact specific enabling factors of collective teacher efficacy. This study adds to existing research on developing collective teacher efficacy through specific professional development opportunities. The researcher recommends that educators continue educating themselves on PLC implementation and improving their PLC practices.

This qualitative case study was conducted to develop an understanding of professional learning communities and other types of professional development and their impact on building educator capacity on student outcomes in Allendale County School District. This is a small rural underperforming district in which student performance has not improved over time despite the District being taken over by the South Carolina State Department of Education (SCDOE) on two separate occasions between 1999 and 2018. Research methods consisted of semi-structured interviews with a sample of 15 educators and administrators in Allendale, as well as a review of relevant documentation. The findings of the study indicate that much of the professional development provided in Allendale during the 1999-2018 period did not exhibit the characteristics identified in the literature for effective professional development, and was not based on the professional learning communities (PLC) approach which researchers have identified as effective in bringing about improvements in student performance. Much of the professional development provided for teachers over the past twenty years in Allendale has been short-term and fragmented; as a result, teachers perceived that it had little relevance to them and their students. The analysis of interviews and documentary evidence indicated that the potential of professional development for improving student performance in Allendale was hindered by numerous changes in school and district leadership and a confrontational and non-collaborative relationship between state and district officials. However, a result of the second state takeover was a more systematic and collaborative approach to professional development strategies and implementation. Research findings will be utilized to support future implementation of a more effective PLC model in Allendale, and for avoidance of leadership relationships that have hindered its progress over the past twenty years.

No description available.

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine the role of the central office staff and the strategies used to support capacity building in elementary principals in a rapid growth district. By synthesizing research and models from education reform scholars, the conceptual framework of professional capital, intrinsic motivation, the educational change process, and professional learning communities was generated to advance the understanding of utilizing PLCs as a foundation for central office to initiate and sustain continuous improvement in a rapid growth district. The Professional Learning Community Assessment - District Support developed by Olivier, Huffman, and Cowan was administered to 126 participants within the curriculum and instruction department and three elementary schools to collect data to analyze the five dimensions of PLCs within the school district. Eleven interviews were conducted with members of the curriculum and instruction department and elementary principals. According to the eleven interviewees, and PLCA-DS, six themes emerged to support the role of capacity building in elementary principals using the PLC model as a framework. The PLC infrastructure, supportive central office, collaborative culture, continuous improvement, differentiated opportunities to learn, and data use were the six themes generated by the participants to support continuous improvement in elementary principals. Each of the five PLC dimensions were visible throughout the themes as the findings illustrated six key practices currently in motion within the rapid growth school district used to build capacity in elementary principals.

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become popular in schools to help improve student achievement. One local middle school implemented a PLC community, yet experienced problems with sustaining the concept and moving forward. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the current state of the PLC at the middle school under study, how it functioned, and possible areas for improvement. The theoretical framework revolved around constructivist learning and the dimensions of a quality PLC: collaboration, shared mission, values, vision, and goals. Research questions addressed teachers' perceptions of PLC progress and differences in levels of development scores among the 5 dimensions of the PLC implementation. The School Professional Staff as a Learning Community survey was given to the 54 members of the faculty at the school. The survey measured the dimensions of shared power/decision making, shared vision, collective learning, supportive and shared practice in teaching, and support of teachers and school. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. According to study results, there were significant differences among the dimensions, with shared vision scoring in the consistent range (M = 4.05) and supportive and shared practices in the never range (M = 2.32). Recommendations include strengthening the dimension of shared practice at the local site by supporting frequent observations of other teachers' classrooms with structured opportunities to provide feedback. Improving the functioning of the PLC will assist in sustaining the school learning community and ultimately improve student achievement.