Graczyk, Patrick
(2019)
An Administrative Community of Practice.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This study explored how a small school district's administrative team perceived the changes and challenges associated with an instructional leadership community of practice (CoP). The participants examined their views about instructional leadership and identified how they worked together as a team to apply new understandings of into their practice. The school district’s administrative team represented this participatory action research’s (PAR) participants that involved reflective journal writing, instructional inventories, and reflective field notes. Instructional leadership is important, yet the complexities of managing a department or concentrated area of supervision potentially shifts an administrator's focus away from instructional leadership. The community of practice intervention unearthed barriers that hindered the existence of a CoP, such as establishing a trusting professional relationship. As the administrative team engaged in the CoP, new ways of learning from each other surfaced outside of those sessions. For school administrators to lead as learners, they must nurture a mutual trust that permits themselves to be vulnerable about their setbacks or failed instructional leadership attempts — the ability to productively function as a CoP provides limitless opportunities for administrators to lead instructional initiatives aimed at student success. More importantly, once a CoP evolves into a common administrative practice there is a greater likelihood that administrators will find value in the process and extend CoPs into their areas of expertise.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
31 January 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
13 December 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
31 January 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
29 January 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
95 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Instructional Leadership, Administrators, Superintendent, Community of Practice, Participatory Action Research, |
| Date Deposited: |
31 Jan 2019 14:15 |
| Last Modified: |
31 Jan 2019 14:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/35945 |
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