Instructional Leadership for Building Capacity in Middle Schools

• In Event: 75.040 - Supervision and Instructional Leadership in the 21st Century

Abstract

The case study provides insight into how middle school principals understand instructional leadership (IL) and perceive their IL to build the instructional capacity of the teachers in their schools. Data were collected through documents and semi-structured interviews with middle school principals. The findings reveal that participants: define IL through shared leadership, PLC structures, and relationships; perceive IL to include developing others’ leadership; are strongly influenced by leadership literature that is promoted through district professional learning initiatives; believe there are middle school differences that impact their IL; and have a sophisticated theoretical understanding of IL, however, struggle to provide evidence of how their practices impact teachers’ instructional capacity. Findings contribute to the sparse body of knowledge about middle school IL.

Authors

• Michael Nelson, University of Calgary

• Brenda L. Spencer, University of Calgary

• Jim Brandon, University of Calgary

• Amy Burns, University of Calgary