Supporting professional learning in an era of accountability: The elementary school principal perspective

Recent school reform movements have demanded high levels of accountability from districts and from individual schools. The accountability was measured in terms of student achievement. Current research linked student achievement to teacher professional development. Evidence also suggested that the quality of teacher professional development was impacted by the structure and culture of the school. The research in organizational learning linked professional development to the creation of learning communities that supported shared decision-making, a supportive environment for experimentation, collaboration among peers and supportive leadership. The school principal was identified as a key component in the creation of learning communities. The purpose of this study was to uncover the practices that elementary school principals utilized that balanced the demands of accountability with the creation of supportive learning environments.; This study utilized a multi-case study of schools identified as having supportive environments for professional learning. This analysis of data found that principals engaged in an initial assessment of the school's performance, the instructional practices and the social context of the school based on their personal belief systems. This included a look at the existing leadership patterns, the structures of decision-making and the staff's perceived need for change. In addition to this assessment, the principals began to establish and vision for the school and they restructured the decision-making processes. The principals also began to "re-culture" the school by promoting professional learning, collaboration and teacher decision-making.; This study found that the impact of No Child Left Behind was to narrow the focus of teacher professional development to the areas assessed by state testing and to frame teacher decision-making around the analysis of data. The implementation of No Child Left Behind had little effect on the structures and cultures of the schools studied.; The identification of the practices principals used to support professional learning was significant because accountability and student achievement impact virtually every school in the country. The study added to our knowledge about the effects of accountability, leadership and the development of environments that support learning.