Structured Abstract
Sample
Participants in this study are drawn from a large urban school district serving substantial numbers of students from low-income families and diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Research design and methods
A delayed-treatment experimental design is being used in which 30 primary school principals will be randomly assigned to begin participating in the NISL program while 30 others will be assigned to delay participation for a year. Principals will be followed for 3 years. The results of the evaluation will provide information on the direct impact of the NISL program on school principals and how that impact in turn leads to changes in teacher practices and student learning.
Key measures
The study will also include surveys and qualitative data collection that are intended to complement the randomized trial by supporting the identification of factors that may be associated with the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of NISL. Observations, logs, interviews, and surveys will be used to examine how participation in the NISL program affects the knowledge and practice of participating school principals. Teacher surveys will be used to examine how teachers' beliefs, practices, and opportunities for instructional improvement in schools with NISL participants differ from those of other teachers, using teacher surveys. Finally, effects of principals' participation in NISL on changes in student achievement will be examined using third and fourth grade students' performance on reading and mathematics.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Select Publications:
Journal articles
Barnes, C.A., Camburn, E., Sanders, B.R., and Sebastian, J. (2010). Developing Instructional Leaders: Using Mixed Methods to Explore the Black Box of Planned Change in Principals' Professional Practice. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(2): 241-279.
Camburn, E.M., Goldring, E., Sebastian, J., May, H. and Huff, J. (2015). An Examination of the Benefits, Limitations, and Challenges of Conducting Randomized Experiments with Principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 52(2): 187-220.
Camburn, E.M., Huff, J., Goldring, E., and May, H. (2010). Assessing the Validity of Annual Surveys for Measuring Principal Leadership Practice. Elementary School Journal, 111(2): 314-335.
Camburn, E.M., Spillane, J., and Sebastian, J. (2010). Assessing the Utility of a Daily Log for Measuring Principal Leadership Practice. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(5): 707-737.
Goldring, E., Huff, J., May, H., and Camburn, E. (2008). School Context and Individual Characteristics: What Influences Principal Practice?. Journal of Educational Administration, 46(3): 332-352.
Goldring, E., Huff, J., Spillane, J.P., and Barnes, C.A. (2009). Measuring the Learning-Centered Leadership Expertise of School Principals. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 8(2): 197-228.
May, H., and Supovitz, J.A. (2011). The Scope of Principal Efforts to Improve Instruction. Educational Administration Quarterly, 47(2): 332-352.
May, H., Huff, J., and Goldring, E. (2012). A Longitudinal Study of Principals' Activities and Student Performance. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 23(4): 417-439.
Spillane, J.P., Camburn, E.M., and Pareja, A.S. (2007). Taking a Distributed Perspective to the School Principal's Workday. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 6(1): 103-125. doi:10.1080/15700760601091200
Spillane, J.P., Kim, C., and Frank, K.A. (2012). Instructional Advice and Information Providing and Receiving Behavior in Elementary Schools: Exploring Tie Formation as a Building Block in Social Capital Development. American Educational Research Journal, 49(6): 1112-1145.
Spillane, J.P., Pareja, A.S., Dorner, L., Barnes, C., May, H., Huff, J., and Camburn, E.M. (2010). Mixing Methods in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs): Validation, Contextualization, Triangulation, and Control. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 22(1): 5-28.
Supovitz, J., Sirinides, P., and May, H. (2010). How Principals and Peers Influence Teaching and Learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(1): 31-56.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
