Measuring Change in Leadership Identity and Problem Framing

Abstract

In recent years, significant attention has been directed to the need for more and better-prepared educational leaders (Young, Crow, Murphy & Ogawa, 2009). While many organizations prepare school principals, evidence of program impact is sparse (Orr & Pounder, 2008; Southern Regional Education Board, 2008). The study described in this article seeks to examine the effects of purposefully designed collaborative learning experiences, as delivered through a university–district principal preparation partnership, on program participants. The article describes the first phase of the research: the examination of baseline candidate leadership perceptions, which led to the development of leadership identity and problem-framing research continua intended to assess participants’ preprogram perceptions. The continua include five stages of leadership identity development and five types of problem framing. Preliminary findings indicate striking differences among program candidates’ placement along these continua. Future stages of this research project will assess postprogram impact.

What We’ve Learned and How We’ve Used It

“…They must have the knowledge, understanding, and skill to lead others (Grogan & Andrews, 2002) to systematically improve student outcomes and raise student achievement (Jackson & Kelley, 2002). According to Young, O’Doherty, Gooden, and Goodnow (2011), “[i]t is increasingly understood that it is essential for university preparation faculty to critically examine the impact of their programs’ curricula, learning experiences, and instructional delivery on their leadership candidates” (p. 705). Moreover, preparation programs should “assess the extent to which they influence their candidates’ career intentions and pursuits” (Orr, 2011, p.118).…”

How Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation Programs Hone the Interpersonal-Intrapersonal (i2) Skills of Future Leaders

“…When leadership candidates enroll in their programs, they have a mindset that encompasses prior knowledge, dispositions, and a set of values and beliefs (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Through coursework and discussions with colleagues, instructors, mentors, and stakeholders in partner school districts, the programs offered opportunities for candidates to examine issues and structures from other perspectives, which laid the groundwork for a potential shift in a candidate's mindset (Young, Gooden, O'Doherty, & Goodnow, 2011). Program B stated, "The focus on preparation is initially on attitudes and mindsets, and then on skills. "…”

Centering Race in a Framework for Leadership Preparation

“…That focus requires a literal reconsideration of how leadership preparation programs explore issues in education. How a leader frames a problem has a lot to do with the solution one explores (Young, O’Doherty, Gooden, & Goodnow, 2011). Leadership preparation programs are instrumental in helping students frame the problems in education and find that voice.…”