Supporting the Bridge: Rural leaders' influences on systems to promote teacher professional capital growth
Open Access
Author:
Voigt, Susan
Graduate Program:
Educational Leadership
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
June 28, 2021
Committee Members:
Bernard Badiali, Member Added & Related Areas Represent Deborah Schussler, Member Added & Major Field Represnt Kai Schafft, Chair & Major Field Represnt Edward Fuller, Member Added & Major Field Represnt Kevin Kinser, Program Head/Chair
Keywords:
educational leadership rural education educational administration professional capital
Abstract:
Over the past several decades, educational policies and legislation have used teacher certifications and student achievement outcomes as proxy measures for levels of teacher human capital. However, other factors influence teacher effectiveness. Using Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) theory of professional capital, this mixed methods study sought to determine the factors identified by a group of rural teachers influencing their professional capacity and administrators’ understanding of their roles in supporting their teachers’ professional capacity. The study yielded three primary findings. First, when administrators disregard the levels of human, social, and decisional capital each teacher brings to their school, they risk damaging trusting relationships. Second, when administrators value the levels of human, social, and decisional capital each teacher brings to their school, they give teachers a sense of ownership in the school. Finally, administrators serve as organizational brokers of social capital within and beyond individual schools. This dissertation also includes a section describing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on these teachers’ human, social, and decisional capital and potential implications of the results in the context of a post-pandemic educational landscape.
