Centering on the Peripheral: Reimagining Administrator Support Through the Voices and Networks of Teacher Leaders

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Expanding the Horizons of Leadership Development: Intercultural, Contextual, and Practice-Based Insights 

Abstract

This study explores teacher leaders’ (TLs’) perceptions of administrative support, particularly those administrators considered central to their work as TLs. By having TLs analyze and modify their self-created social network maps (SNMs) in semi-structured interviews, we sought to understand how administrators support TLs, and how dynamic artifacts like SNMs might reveal insights into these relationships. Our findings indicate that these relationships are highly nuanced, even when represented similarly in different SNMs. Furthermore, we found that many TLs hope for more explicit communication and collaboration, viewing their administrators as positive resources for effectively influencing educational change.

Authors

• Timothy Aberle, Montclair State University

• John O'Meara, Montclair State University

• Shanna Dawn Anderson, Montclair State University

• Mika Munakata, Montclair State University

• Emily J. Klein, Montclair State University

• Monica Taylor, Montclair State University