Examining Practices of Elementary School Principals: Selection of Co-teaching Teams

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of urban elementary school principals in relation to co-teaching and their co-teacher selection process. Three elementary school principals who exemplify characteristics of shared, ethical, and transformational leadership from a large urban school district in the southern United States were interviewed. The findings from the interviews were utilized to create a Likert-type survey to be administered to select co-teachers and select teachers not co-teaching at each of the three schools. The interview data were examined using Hycner's guidelines for phenomenological analysis. The Likert-type surveys administered to co-teachers and teachers not co-teaching served as sources of information for triangulation. The findings of the study led to the emergence of 13 themes addressing the three research questions. The resulting themes were (a) open communication with staff, (b) team approach to decision-making, (c) teacher leadership, (d) parental involvement encouraged, (e) positive relationship with staff, (f) professional growth encouraged, (g) volunteers selected for co-teaching, (h) co-teachers select partners, (i) co-teaching option presented to entire teaching staff, (j) personal involvement in co-teaching selection process, (k) multifaceted selection criteria, (l) principals involved teachers in the pairing procedure, and (m) recruitment procedures were aligned with best practices. This study has contributed additional evidence supportive of best practices in co-teaching and leadership and suggests a link between effective leadership practices and the facilitation of co-teaching teams and co-teacher selection processes. Recommendations for future research address the areas of (a) principal experience, (b) length of co-teaching model, (c) principal personal involvement, (d) study participant size, (e) study subjects, and (f) link between leadership practices and co-teaching selection procedures.

Author dc:creator

• Tejeda, Jeannette

Contributors dc:contributor

• Martin, Suzanne

• Co teaching
• special education
• educational leadership
• Education
• Dissertations, Academic -- Education and Human Performance; Education and Human Performance -- Dissertations, Academic

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

CFE0006012

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-2409