ERIC Number: EJ1224690
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1570-0763
EISSN: N/A
Subject-Specific Instructional Leadership in K8 Schools: The Supervision of Science in an Era of Reform
Leadership and Policy in Schools, v18 n3 p460-484 2019
Purpose: In U.S. public schools, principals must implement reforms that require instructional leadership across subjects, though little is known about subject-specific supervision. Methods: Through interviews with 26 K-8 principals, we examine instructional leadership for science. Findings: Our findings showed that science supervision occurred rarely; principals used a "content-neutral" approach that did not emphasize science-specific aspects of instruction. Principals explained this in terms of external accountability pressures in literacy and mathematics, as well as their own lack of science knowledge. Implications: We argue for subject-specific resources for principal supervision. For classrooms to change, principals must provide subject-specific support for teachers.
Descriptors: Instructional Leadership, Public Schools, Principals, Administrator Attitudes, Science Instruction, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Accountability, Elementary School Science, Secondary School Science, Instructional Improvement, Teacher Supervision, Administrator Role, Academic Standards, Middle Schools
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1415541