Implementing the School Improvement Fund Transformation Model in Maine’s Rural High Schools

• In Event: Leadership in Rural Contexts

Abstract

This mixed-methods study focuses on the implementation of the Transformation Model in rural Maine high schools during the first half of their three-year School Improvement Grants. The Transformation Model aims for changes in three areas: leadership, instruction and school support. This study describes implementation of the model and reports on teacher and leader perceptions of the model and the change experience. Using a pre- and post-survey, it also presents changes in leadership, teacher professional community and collective efficacy as assessed from teacher reflections on the school environment prior to the grant compared to reflections midway through the grant cycle, and further compares these changes to those in similar high schools that did not receive grants. (School Improvement Fund, rural, high school)

Authors

• Angela Atkinson Duina, Boston University

• Mary H. Shann, Boston University