Facilitating Instructional Change in Principal Practice: Qualities of Robust Principal/Principal Supervisor Partnerships

• In Event: 31.064 - Research Evidence Guiding School Districts

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of a new role for the district-based principal supervisor as a coach, mentor and partner of principals’ instructional leadership development, many aspects of the role are not yet understood. This paper reports on data from a year-long study that examined the work of 12 principal and principal supervisor pairs in a large Mid-Atlantic school district. The study sought to understand the contributions that principals and principal supervisors made to their partnership to facilitate changes in principals’ instructional leadership practice. Findings reveal that in partnerships in which robust changes were made in instructional leadership, partnerships developed in three phases: (1) antecedents to the work; (2) contributions to the partnership; (3) engagement in joint work for improvement.

Author

• Rebecca Ann Thessin, The George Washington University