Browsing by Author "Drefko, Tracy J."

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    The Principal Pipeline: How Elementary School Principals Perceive Student-Centered Leadership to Impact Teaching Practice
    (2018-07-11) Drefko, Tracy J.; Brandon, Jim; Spencer, Brenda L.; Lund, Darren E.
    Student-centered leadership, as defined by Viviane Robinson, is an approach to instructional leadership that puts student outcomes at the center of school leadership work. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how elementary school principals perceived they enacted four aspects of student-centered leadership and how these actions were perceived to impact teaching practices in their schools. Through semi-structured interviews with three principals, data was generated about leadership actions perceived to facilitate professional learning and impact teaching practice. Focus group interviews with teachers from each of the three principal’s schools and documents contributed by all participants were also examined. Analysis of the data from all three sources revealed eleven common leadership actions that are illustrated through deeper, richer descriptions of the instructional leadership provided by the three principals. The study’s illumination of eleven specific student-centered leadership actions and their perceived impact on teaching practice will contribute to professional knowledge and offer transferable insights to other school leaders as they enact leadership practices to facilitate professional learning and quality teaching within their buildings.