Building: Pinnacle
Room: 3F-Port of New York
Date: 2016-07-03 03:30 PM – 05:00 PM
Last modified: 2016-05-22
Abstract
Introduction
Given the importance of school leadership and the projected retirement of a number of current principals, the Alberta Teachers’ Association initiated a 16-month pilot of the L2L Leadership Program that feature the use of Cognitive CoachingSM to support new principals. The intent of the pilot program was “[T]o develop a network of reflective, self-reliant school leaders whose high-quality leadership optimizes student learning and supports improvement initiatives that take into account the unique context of each school†(The Alberta Teachers’ Association, 2012, p. 1).
Objective
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of Cognitive CoachingSM included as part of the Leader2Leader (L2L) Leadership Program for beginning principals in Alberta. Design/Methodology
A mixed methods approach was taken. Fifteen qualified principals (coaches) and 23 new principals completed the L2L Program. A combination of workshops, conferences, and cognitive coaching were used to meet the L2L Leadership Program objectives. The coaches’ and new principals’ self-efficacy and acquisition of seven principal practice competencies were measured at baseline and the end of the program. Separate questionnaires for coaches and new principals were used to obtain reactions to the Cognitive Coaching component. Descriptive analyses were used for the questionnaire, and the 31 recommendations made by the coaches and new principals were sent back to them for their endorsement. A 2 x 2 (group-by-occasion) fixed effects analysis of variance with repeated on the second factor was use to analyze the changes in self-efficacy and principal competency.
Results
The findings revealed that the new principals gained in their expertise and that the coaches and new principals both gained in their self-efficacy and competence. Together, the coaches and new principals endorsed 21 of the 31 recommendations made.
Conclusion
The L2L Leadership Program with the changes suggested can help develop a network of reflective, self-reliant school principals.