K-4 Teachers' Perceptions of Teacher Instructional Leadership Practices

This qualitative study sought to examine K-4 teacher perceptions of teacher instructional leadership practices as a result of increased statutory accountability demands in a high-achieving, homogeneous, rural Ohio school. Dodge Local, an Excellent school district as deemed by state of Ohio Local Report Card, was the school district studied. Through interviews, this study sought to examine how teachers currently describe their own instructional practice, how teachers describe their own capacity for instructional leadership, and what factors they perceive as levers for change in their own instructional leadership practice as a result of statutory accountability demands.

Descriptive methods were used to describe the 11 teachers selected for the study from a K-2 and a 3-4 building. A face-to-face in-depth interview with pre-determined questions was utilized with each participant. All interviews were recorded, then transcribed, coded, and analyzed.

Findings included the observation that Dodge Local lacks several foundational elements identified in the literature as effective instructional leadership practices. Dodge Local teachers focused on student needs in the classroom and felt a responsibility toward student achievement and learning. However, a formal improvement plan and vision were absent. Teachers tended to refer to various accountability demands as de facto goals. Finally, teachers in Dodge did not have an enduring understanding of accountability demands that have the potential to lead to meaning conversations about teaching and learning. Dodge did not have a broad enough awareness of the demands or any discrete ideas concerning how accountability demands would impact their instructional practices in future years.

Although Dodge is rated excellent, according to the external accountability system, the internal structure and function of the district is in direct contrast. This study adds breadth and depth to the function of the Local Report Card in the State of Ohio and its function in relation to school district excellence.