Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

Gary Reglin

Committee Member

Judith Merz

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

equity-based leadership, instructional leadership, leadership effectiveness, leadership styles, principal supervisors, principals

Abstract

Principal supervisors play a critical role in supporting school principals. However, historically, principal supervisors were ill prepared to address these challenges at either the district or school level. Since 2011, the role of the principal supervisors has been reexamined to provide better outcomes for students and increased support for principals. The development of equity-based instructional leadership practices was identified and therefore added to the tools focused on developing transformative, race-conscious, and culturally responsive educational leadership. The problem explored in this qualitative study is that little research has focused on the perceptions of principal supervisors to improve equitable practices in schools that may result in equitable teaching and learning.

This case study used a semi-structured interview format to examine the perceptions of principal supervisors about the standards for equity-based instructional leadership that may result in equitable teaching and learning. The researcher also examined potential differences in the perceptions of novice principal supervisors compared to experienced principal supervisors. This study was intended to answer the following research question: How do principal supervisors view the national standards of equity-based instructional leadership and their capacity to promote equitable teaching and learning for all students?

After rigorous analysis of the data, which included a priori and emergent coding, findings indicated that principal supervisors have limited prior awareness of but positive perceptions of standards for equity-based instructional leadership, principal supervisors tend to focus on different standards for equity-based instructional leadership, and principal supervisors face both external and internal challenges when enacting standards for equity-based instructional leadership. Future studies might explore time spent by principal supervisors on equity-based instructional leadership, district efforts to increase time spent on equity-based instructional leadership, and professional development needs of principal supervisors to support the implementation of standards for equity-based instructional leadership.

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