Date of Graduation

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

Leadership Studies

Program

Organization & Leadership EdD

First Advisor

Patricia Mitchell

Second Advisor

Patricia Busk

Third Advisor

Kevin Oh

Abstract

This study explored how three preservice school leaders (PSLs) in California spent their time during their fieldwork for their school-leader-preparation programs and if they were gaining experience in all of the California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL). Specifically, my dissertation examined the use of a daily log (Project Reflect), a custom-built web-based application that is designed to serve as an easy-to-use measure of preservice-school-leader practice. The application was accessed from Internet-connected devices and logged time spent in practical situations in each of the CPSEL. This exploratory case study was conducted with three preservice school leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area. The mobile web-based application allowed the PSLs and the researcher to gain a better understanding of how the PSLs use their time during their fieldwork. Data also were collected from PSLs through short surveys and semistructured interviews. School-leader-preparation programs have been criticized heavily for failing to provide adequate training for future leaders. The findings indicated that preservice school leaders do not feel adequately prepared to lead schools after a program that includes fieldwork, rather than an internship or residency. Fieldwork is limited by seasonality of the work, the responsibilities of the PSLs’ job, and their ability to access experiences in all standards. The themes that emerged during the study were seasonality of work, purposefully accessing opportunities, the benefits of self-tracking, and the lack of preparation in the standards. This study contributes to understanding of how PSLs spend their during their reparation programs and can give insight into more effective ways the train PSLs.

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