Emergent leadership paradigms supportive of staff development programs in restructuring schools
Abstract
The goal of the restructuring movement in schools is a reconceptualization of the teaching/learning paradigm. A major component of the restructuring process is the increased involvement of teachers in shared decision making and leadership roles. Therefore, as reform through restructuring takes hold, new staffing patterns should begin to emerge for teachers and administrators that should challenge prior expectations and former organizational roles. Thus, a new paradigm of leadership was postulated, namely, one that would expand the dimensions and power of leadership and responsibility to those closest to the point of educational impact. In order to effect the changes proposed by restructuring, staff development programs would be needed which would prepare teachers and administrators for revised roles within the organization. The research of this dissertation explored the initiation of staff development for instructional improvement in restructuring settings. Two schools that were members of the Coalition of Essential Schools were studied. The study examined whether and in what way new roles emerged to support staff development efforts as a result of shared decision making. This study examined the roles teachers and administrators played in implementing staff development for instructional improvement. The research questions which guided the study were: how are staff development innovations initiated in restructuring school settings?; what are the conditions and configurations of leadership necessary to support innovation in restructuring settings?; and what leadership paradigms will emerge as a result of shared decision making in restructuring schools? An examination of the leadership paradigms in the restructuring schools studied suggested a new configuration of leadership for schools that was predicated on the existence of shared decision making. Information was collected through interview, questionnaire, observations, and document review. Analysis of the data collected revealed that four factors were related to revised roles for teachers in staff development. These four factors are: the organizational structure of the school; the model of organizational governance used in the school; the involvement and leadership style of the principal; and the relationship of the staff development innovations to the restructuring agenda of the school.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
Adamo, Margaret Mackin, "Emergent leadership paradigms supportive of staff development programs in restructuring schools" (1993). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9412163.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9412163
