ERIC Number: EJ1045161
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Mar
Pages: 38
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-6846
EISSN: N/A
Principals Fostering the Instructional Leadership Capacities of Department Chairs: A Strategy for Urban High School Reform
Klar, Hans W.
Journal of School Leadership, v23 n2 p324-361 Mar 2013
A growing body of literature has highlighted the affordances of distributive forms of instructional leadership as a means to broaden and deepen instructional leadership capacity within schools. Yet, specifically how the capabilities of such key leaders as high school department chairs can be fostered to realize enhanced instructional capacity remains less well understood. In this article, I examine the efforts of principals in three urban high schools to foster the leadership capacities of their department chairs as a case of distributed instructional leadership. Data for the study were gathered from interviews, participant observations, and analyses of documents collected during a 2-year Leadership for Learning grant funded by the Wallace Foundation. The findings illustrate the crucial role that the principals played in redefining leadership roles, responsibilities, and structures; providing individual and team learning opportunities; and connecting the work of the department chairs to school and district instructional improvement efforts. I conclude with implications for practice and further research.
Descriptors: Instructional Leadership, Principals, Capacity Building, Department Heads, Urban Schools, High Schools, Educational Change, Educational Strategies, Leadership Training, Participative Decision Making, Participant Observation, Leadership Role, Leadership Responsibility, Educational Opportunities, Educational Improvement, Educational Practices, Educational Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Administrator Attitudes, Educational Cooperation, Coordinators, Administrative Organization, Transformational Leadership
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Wisconsin
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A