The rapid pace of change in the 21st century requires educators to become generative in their thinking and their practices. An educational leadership preparation program that promotes generative learning rather than relying on existing knowledge and practice must be embedded in the context of practice so educators can continually connect their theoretical knowledge with the practical knowledge that they gain from their families, students and communities. It requires the program to be grounded from an inquiry stance (Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 2009) rather than an expert stance. This idea frames the delivery methodology for a blended online principal preparation program. The blended online program was designed upon the foundation of a university-district partnership program which featured collaborative partnership and field-based learning as the pedagogical model. This paper describes the three technology-facilitated practices that define the transformative pedagogy. It also presents the initial findings from a mixed-methods analysis of program integrity that compared outcomes from both delivery models. Findings from this model of principal preparation show school leaders who are engaged in access and equity work and facilitating a school culture that supports just outcomes.
Ncpea publications
This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of education administration. In addition to publication in the Connexions Content Commons, this module is published in the
NCPEA Handbook of Online Instruction and Programs in Education Leadership, ISBN 978-1-4507-7263-1.
Editors
- Janet Tareilo, Stephen F. Austin State University
- Brad Bizzell, Virginia Tech
Associate Editors
- Beverly Irby, Sam Houston State University
- Rosemary Papa, Northern Arizona University
- Thomas Valesky, Florida Gulf Coast University
- Theodore Creighton, Virginia Tech
About the Authors
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Susan Korach is a Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Denver.
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Lyndsay Agans is a Professor of Education Technology at the University of Denver.
Introduction
The rapid pace of change in the 21
st century requires educators to become generative in their thinking and their practices. An educational leadership preparation program that promotes generative learning rather than relying on existing knowledge and practice must be embedded in the context of practice so educators can continually connect their theoretical knowledge with the practical knowledge that they gain from their families, students and communities. It requires the program to be grounded from an
inquiry stance (Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 2009) rather than an expert stance. An inquiry stance requires faculty to recognize the intellectual capacity of practitioners and facilitate learning through a rigorous examination of practice and data while promoting continual question and reflection. The underlying assumption of an inquiry stance is "a core part of the knowledge and expertise necessary for transforming practice and enhancing students’ learning resides in the questions, theories, and strategies generated collectively by practitioners themselves and in their joint interrogations of the knowledge, practices and theories of others." (Cochran-Smith&Lyttle, 2009, p. 124)
