Influences on a District's Design of Professional Development Institutes for Principals

• In Event: Developing Effective School and District Leaders

Abstract

This study examines how a school district central office designs its five-day institute for school site administrators that occurs immediately prior to the start of the school year. I pay particular attention to the factors that influence individuals and departments as they articulate perspectives on effective PD and craft associated structures and activities. I explore how individuals interact with each other and with ideas as part of design teams, and how the organizational context and institutional environment of the district influence their ultimate designs. Studying a district’s design of school leader PD provides insights into district priorities, how districts organize for reform, how policy decisions are crafted within a district, and specifically, how districts conceptualize the needs of school leaders.

Author

• John J. Hall, University of California - Berkeley