Understanding How Principal and Teacher Interactions Affect Teacher Professional Growth in an Era of Reform

• In Event: 32.082 - Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 32.082-1 - Developing Principals to Become Instructional Leaders

Abstract

Principal. Instructional Leader. Lead Learner. These are a few of the terms used to describe today’s heads of schools because in American public schools, the principal has responsibilities that are vast and varied, seemingly complex, and ever evolving based on the needs of students and school communities. This study examines experienced elementary teachers’ perceptions of how supervisory interactions with principals affect their professional growth, given the context of school reform policies that emphasizes more rigorous teacher evaluation as a strategy for increasing student performance.

Authors

• Molly Funk, Core School Solutions, LLC

• David Anderson, Eastern Michigan University