Virtual Research Symposium

Description:

An overarching problem that public school districts are facing is a lack of succession planning. Without a succession plan in place, districts are not prepared for the future when it comes to staff development. This lack of foresight and planning causes a ripple down effect leading to insufficient leadership. A district-level leadership development program could lessen this burden by providing support for educators with exposure to leadership skills at a school or district level prior to earning an advanced degree. This researcher used a collective case study methodology to investigate a common experience across multiple perspectives. This study utilized demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and physical artifacts with a three-stage analysis process of in vivo coding, constant comparative method, and cross-case analysis combined with a non-indexical analysis of the physical artifacts.

The researcher’s goal was to examine a group of individuals who participated in a district-level leadership development program within the last five years to gain a holistic view of the perspectives of educators who engaged in the leadership development program and how participants describe their leadership development experience. Furthermore, the researcher explored the perceived benefits the program had on their professional growth and development personally. The researcher found that the leadership development program brought together like-minded individuals searching to better themselves through fostering an environment of collaboration. The program supported a network of teambuilding. The use of applicable features in the leadership development program gave the participates the ability to connect theory to real-life. Furthermore, all participants of the interviews found that the program could be more supportive if the leadership development program differentiated more to meet the individual’s needs and goals.