The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of an Externship as the capstone experience of a Master's degree program in preparing seventeen teachers to be Mathematics Specialists. This formative evaluation was based on the teacher's perspective and was naturalistic in design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data sources included a teacher survey, teacher interviews, writing prompts, teacher observations, and teacher final project presentations. This evaluation was designed to answer the question: Do the teachers feel that the requirements of this Masters' Degree Externship have prepared them for their role as a Mathematics Specialist? The success and effectiveness of the Externship was tied directly to the teachers chosen school-based experiences which were designed based on a mathematics needs assessment of their schools. Teachers were found to be involved in all five of the essential components of an externship as outlined in the theoretical framework — application, collaboration, reflection, expectations, and the cohort structure. In addition, teachers were found to integrate their leadership and teaching skills through the engagement of their school colleagues in the improvement of educational experiences for all students. Overall, the teachers felt that the experiences throughout the Externship adequately prepared them for their roles of a mathematics specialist; working effectively with stakeholders; working with issues around curriculum and instruction; planning and delivering professional development; and working as leaders within their schools. / Ed. D.

No description available.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Donna Augustine-Shaw / Jessica Holloway / School superintendents have traditionally been removed from the systemic process of learning in a school district and instead of been considered more indirect supporters of student achievement. Now, in the face of changing leadership standards, they are being required to provide leadership that more directly enhances student learning by way of teacher professional development. This case study takes a deeper look into the process of the superintendent’s role in district professional development. This will include a purposeful examination to clearly understand the superintendent’s role in designing, implementing, and monitoring professional development in the school district. The study includes (a) the meaning of professional development; (b) examination of school leadership theories and roles; and (c) analysis of how professional development impacts the classroom design of a district instructional framework for professional development.

The enactment of teacher leadership can be challenged by both policy initiatives and school contexts (Anderson & Cohen, 2015; Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012). However, teachers can have a positive influence on each other and their broader school community by building capacity for leadership, innovation, and student achievement through the relationships, or networks, they develop and maintain (Baker-Doyle, 2015; Hovardas, 2016; Hunzicker, 2012; Moolenaar, Sleegers, & Daly, 2012). This single exploratory case study takes place in a Title I elementary school and uses a combination of Social Network Analysis and content analysis to uncover patterns in teacher professional networks, the context in which they exist, and teachers’ perceptions of the influence of these networks on their sense of themselves as teacher leaders. The study focuses on four constructs: teacher leadership, teacher efficacy, instructional innovation, and professional networks. The concept of social capital is used to explore the connection between networks and teacher leadership. Symbolic interactionism frames the analysis of the nature of relationships that emerge within these networks. Findings indicate that teachers linked their identities as leaders with a culture of leadership, exchange of advice, shared values, and high expectations for themselves and their students. Interview responses demonstrated they believed in their collective capacity to accomplish a shared mission of student achievement; they trusted in and supported each other through their professional networks.

This study responds to the critical question: How could I as an educational leader in Manitoba improve educational outcomes for students who are the least privileged in society? I envisioned a leadership development program which would enhance the ability of teacher leaders to facilitate change from within schools. This critical action research study aimed to: 1) identify the knowledge, skills and dispositions teacher leaders required to be agents of change in educational contexts; 2) identify the learning processes that developed agency; and 3) determine the impact of a co-constructed community on teachers who participated in the leadership development program. As a participant-researcher I facilitated six full-day leadership development sessions with a cohort of nine teacher leaders committed to social justice. Qualitative data sources which captured the processes influencing teacher leader development included: videotapes of focus groups and leadership development sessions; participants’ and researcher’s written reflections, journals and action research cycles; pilot test feedback forms, self-assessment and peer reflection instruments; audio-recorded mentoring conversations; and curricular and design process notes. Data analysis was ongoing, cyclical and reflexive; it included content and thematic analysis, “themeing” (Saldaña, 2013, p. 175), and crystallization across multiple sets of data. Research outcomes include the creation of the Social Justice Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (SJTLSA) and Peer Reflection (SJTLPR) tools offered for use in various educational contexts to promote self-knowledge, reflection and dialogue. A theory-in-context is proposed which synthesizes the knowledge, skills, dispositions and agency of teacher leaders for social justice. Seven elements were found to promote critical reflection and agency of teacher leaders: action research, learning-focused conversations, dialogue, self-assessment, peer feedback, journals and critical reflection. The co-constructed community contributed to participants’ feelings of acceptance, validation, belonging and challenge. A three phase modular leadership development model is proposed which summarizes the design, enactment and outcomes of the leadership development sessions. Positive outcomes for teacher leader participants were transformative experiences, frameworks for action and a community to support sustained engagement. The iris is used metaphorically to describe the catalytic potential of the leadership development sessions. Implications of the study for teacher leaders, facilitators of adult learning, theory and future research are identified.

The key aims of this case study are to understand the notion of teacher leadership and identify factors that impact the professional development of teacher leaders in a foreign language institute. As little empirical research exists on how EFL teacher leaders acquire leadership skills and learn about leadership roles, this study explores factors contributing to the professional learning and growth of EFL teacher leaders in the Saudi EFL context. The study is an interpretive one, using semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection instrument complemented by an open-ended questionnaire. The detailed accounts of 12 EFL teacher leaders indicate that ‘teacher leadership’ is a novel construct at the ELI where teacher leadership roles are positioned in the middle of the organisational hierarchy. EFL teachers in these middle-level leadership roles have titles such as head of professional development unit (PDU), head of academic coordination unit (ACU) and head of curriculum unit (CU). In spite of being a new concept at the ELI, leadership roles and responsibilities to a great extent share similarities with teacher leadership in western school contexts. However, teacher leaders encounter various challenges which are mainly due to the bureaucratic structures at the ELI. The data reveal lack of autonomy, inadequate professional support from the top management, and ineffectiveness of the existing professional development courses at the ELI. This study provides insights into factors which support EFL teacher leader professional development. There are five main elements: a) previous experiential learning, both formal and informal; b) leadership knowledge, skills and abilities which are brought to their current roles and further improved through collaborative practices; c) intrinsic motivation and personal urge to do more learning and leading; d) learning from being in leadership roles; and e) reflective practices at individual and group levels. Despite the concurrent difficulties and uncooperative workplace environment, the EFL teacher leaders managed to acquire role-related leadership skills while learning on the job. This thesis concludes by offering suggestions tailored to the professional development needs of teacher leaders in the EFL context, namely that top leadership should adopt flexible leadership approaches and that trainers should conduct more context-specific professional development courses on a regular basis. These supportive strategies should ensure sustainable professional development and raise the degree of professionalism among EFL teacher leaders at the ELI.

The teachers' lounge was once the only oasis of camaraderie among teachers engaged in the rigors of public education. Today, fellowship among teachers looks quite different and is no longer relegated to the teachers' lounge. Indeed, in a successful school it is pervasive, and so are the teachers who become leaders of their fellow colleagues and play a significant role in school improvement and renewal. Operating in a variety of roles and possessed of personal and professional traits that have earned them the respect of their colleagues, principals, and district leaders, these teacher leaders have enriched the instructional landscape and the cultures of their schools. However, the research suggests that, in general, teacher leaders themselves have received little, if any, formal training for their jobs as leaders among their peers. As principals rely more on the expertise of these teachers, as the complexities of public education continue to multiply, and as the demographics of the teaching profession change, an obligation exists to investigate the professional development needs of teacher leaders. Teacher leaders must be skilled in building trusting, respectful relationships, a professional fellowship, among their peers if they wish for them to follow their lead down the path to self-improvement, student achievement, and school excellence. A mission of this importance deserves the best teacher leaders that training can produce. An examination of the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions and how teacher leaders develop them will help school districts provide specialized training for them. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to research one specific approach to developing and sustaining rural teacher leaders in a high-poverty area with limited resources for teachers. The study investigates The Appalachian Writing Project, a nonprofit organization serving far southwest Virginia and how the AWP has affected rural teachers in educational leadership positions and the resulting impact on educational experiences for students. The participants in this study represent a unique population, composed of certified teachers in extreme southwest Virginia who have completed the Appalachian Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute (2001-2010) and serve as Teacher Consultants for that organization. Qualitative data were gathered through a survey, interviews, and document analysis for the purpose of identifying and analyzing the variables that lead teachers to: apply to the Appalachian Writing Project, remain active in the AWP, and ultimately become leaders within the orgaizational structure. The research results provide strong evidence to suggest that participants' pedagogical practices are positively impacted as a result of participation in the Appalachian Writing Project, and in the participants' opinion students are positively impacted in terms of student achievement. The study also reveals that Teacher Consultants continue to conduct research in their classrooms after the summer institute and that Teacher Consultants have accepted both formal and informal leadership positions as a result of their inquiry. Finally, the results of the study revealed that the Appalachian Writing Project sustains and supports Teacher Consultants in their leadership positions. Resulting recommendations include encouraging school divisions to consider the Appalachian Writing Project's research findings and contract with the AWP for professional development. Also, school administrators might want to encourage and fund lead teachers who wish to apply to the Appalachian Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute. Finally, school administrators whose schools include AWP Teacher Consultants might want to continue to support, encourage and fund them within the site and school division. While the study suggests a definite link between teacher participation in the Appalachian Writing Project and student achievement, more research could provide statistical data to link participation in the AWP to improved student achievement.

No description available.

In order to gain insight into developing teacher leadership capacity this study was designed to surface how tasks and interactions unfold from the perspective of the practitioners. The central focus of this study was to investigate the ways an elementary teacher-leader takes a stance toward instructional leadership while negotiating professional norms and organizational structures within the context of a public school setting. This investigation sought to identify instructionally related teacher leadership actions and opportunities; and to examine teacher-leaders' interaction patterns with an interest in identifying how teacher-leaders interact and enact their leadership tasks. Reports of 79 teacher-leaders' perceptions of interactions were collected using a 71 item questionnaire designed for this study based on the literature. Factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha were conducted and confirmed the measuring instrument's reliability and validity. Sample data were analyzed for descriptive statistics and the relationships between the latent constructs: organizational structure, social context, and professional values. Results of the bivariate correlations revealed that both social context and organizational structure accounted for a small percentage of the variance in teacher-leader to teacher interaction. Interaction shared an 8% variance with social context and shared an 8% variance with access for interaction. Professional values did not have a statistically significant correlation with interactions . Moreover, social context had a 30% shared variance with access for interaction and a shared variance of 37% with professional values . In summary, professional values had the greatest variance with social context (37%) and social context had the greatest variance with access for interaction (30%) which represented organizational structure. An implication of the results suggests social context is central for shaping and reshaping values and norms.