Educational equity is a strategy through which schools prioritize equitable access to learning experiences most appropriate for each student's needs. It is an attempt to reduce inequitable student outcomes by closing gaps in students' opportunities to access the teachers, learning, and resources they need. Instructional leaders are vital to how educational equity manifests in the school setting, and assistant principals serve in this capacity among many. The purpose of this study was to identify assistant principals' preparation, opportunity, and self-reported professional learning needs to serve as equity-focused instructional leaders. The researcher sought participation from a sample of assistant principals from four school divisions in Virginia. For this quantitative study, participants completed a researcher-developed survey about equity-focused instructional leadership practices adapted from an educational equity framework developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the nationally recognized BELE framework. The researcher analyzed survey responses and used descriptive statistics to report findings that answered three research questions about assistant principals' preparation, opportunity, and self-reported professional learning needs to serve as equity-focused instructional leaders. The data revealed that assistant principals are prepared and often engage in multiple equity-focused instructional leadership practices. Assistant principals would benefit from increased opportunities and additional professional learning in some areas of equity-focused instructional leadership. The researcher identified implications for the practice of assistant principals and made recommendations for future research that might provide insight for principals, division leaders, and state personnel into how to utilize and support assistant principals in this capacity. / Doctor of Education / Pursuing equity in the educational setting aims to reduce inequitable student outcomes by closing gaps in students' opportunities to access teachers, learning, and resources that address their specific needs. Assistant principals serve as instructional leaders and are vital to establishing and maintaining equity in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to identify assistant principals' preparation, opportunity, and self-reported professional learning needs to serve as equity-focused instructional leaders. The researcher sought insight into assistant principals' beliefs about their experiences as equity-focused instructional leaders, specifically in the areas of the equity-focused instructional leadership strategies outlined in a framework developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the nationally recognized BELE framework. The researcher sought to gain insight for principals, division leaders, and state personnel to support their efforts to utilize and support assistant principals in this capacity. The researcher conducted a quantitative study using a survey research design. The researcher conducted the study in Virginia and collected data from a sample of 65 assistant principals in four school divisions. The researcher analyzed responses to the survey and used descriptive statistics to report findings that answered three research questions about assistant principals' preparation, opportunity, and self-reported professional learning needs to serve as equity-focused instructional leaders. Findings indicate that assistant principals are both prepared and have opportunities to serve as equity-focused leaders. However, they would benefit from increased opportunities and professional learning to improve their practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/113664 |
| Date | 03 February 2023 |
| Creators | Waterford, Carmen Renee |
| Contributors | Counselor Education, Brinkmann, Jodie Lynn, Cash, Carol S., Price, Ted S., Otey, Katina Wright |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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