Aspects of Professional Learning That Are Most Valuable: Perspectives of South Carolina School Leaders

• In Event: Coaching, Mentoring, and Other Critical Supports to Leadership Development

Abstract

Developing and retaining effective principals requires high-quality professional learning, characterized by customized support tailored to principals’ needs, opportunities for principals to apply their learning and work with a coach, and opportunities to network and collaborate with peers. Many existing programs lack those features. To provide high-quality, comprehensive learning experiences to school leaders, the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching designed a two-year program for South Carolina school leaders that includes three interconnected learning opportunities: continued professional development, on-site coaching, and virtual networking. The purpose of this study is to examine participating school leaders’ experiences with those professional learning opportunities. Results indicate that participants speak favorably of all three learning opportunities, but most find on-site coaching particularly useful.

Authors

• Marina Serdiouk, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
  Presenting Author

• Handrea A. Logis, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tanee Hudgens, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
  Non-Presenting Author

• Trevor Leutscher, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joshua H. Barnett, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
  Non-Presenting Author