Date of Submission

8-13-2024

Document Type

DiP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

external consultant, instructional leadership, transformational leadership, implementation, professional development, professional learning

Abstract

Effectuating the adoption of research proven instructional practices across the classrooms of an entire school district is a dauting task. Traditionally, the incorporation of external consultants has been met with mixed responses particularly when it involves teacher professional learning and the sustainability of learned practices in the classroom. This Dissertation-in-Practice seeks to understand the complex relationship that exists when external consultants partner with school districts to assist in the adoption and implementation of instructional practices across an entire organization. Through the incorporation of instructional and transformational leadership lenses, the role of the external consultant is leveraged as a mechanism to support a change implementation process that seeks to balance the desires of senior organizational leadership, with the autonomy of the site-based leadership. It was determined that the best course of action for implementation was to include a flexible model that allowed sites to move through the change implementation process by leveraging monitoring and assessment practices to determine the next steps in implementation. By encouraging mobility and flexibility throughout a linear change process, the external consultant along with site and district leadership can lean on communication and knowledge mobilization practices to ensure an equitable approach to change. When change implementation occurs without the input or consideration from classroom teachers and other members of an organization, there is a greater potential for failure of change. This dissertation seeks to plan an implementation process that will result in capacity realization of instructional practices for the entire organization.

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