Abstracts Category : Other

How school leaders prioritize and allocate resources to improve teacher quality through teacher professional development| A multiple case study in suburban North Carolina

by Deonte Rashawn Tyson

This multiple case study examined the methods by which school leaders determined and planned teacher professional development, as well as what teachers perceived as their professional development needs and how they believe school leaders take those needs into account. The study took place at two suburban elementary schools (1 traditional public, 1 public charter) in the Charlotte Metro area. The analysis of qualitative data provided by school leader interviews revealed the process by which school leaders determined professional development for teachers in their respective schools. Descriptive quantitative data was gathered through teacher questionnaires about their professional development needs/desires and their perceptions on how school leaders took those into account when planning professional development. In both schools, leaders indicated they try to balance school and district needs with the needs of individual teachers when planning teacher professional development, and teacher perceptions of how leaders determine professional development were generally aligned with leader reports. While the majority of teachers at both schools communicated an overall satisfaction with professional development, teacher respondents at the traditional public school expressed higher levels of agreement to being satisfied with professional development and that their needs were being met. Implications of the studys findings include a focus on teacher collaboration as an integral part of professional development, as well as the need for teacher input in the professional development planning process.