Leadership-Influenced Practices that Impact Classroom Instruction Related to Writing: a case Study of a

1. 
   Regarding systematic supervision of your principal and literacy specialist:
   

• 
  How does your principal supervise the school’s reaction to change in literacy strategies? How does your literacy specialist supervise the school’s reaction to change in literacy strategies?
  

• 
  Who encourages you to participate in researched instructional practices?
  
• 
  What impact does your principal or literacy specialist have on the learning culture of your school or district?
  
• 
  There are colleagues who participate in professional development opportunities and return to the classroom to implement their new learning and are met with lack of support. Please describe your experiences of being supported or unsupported by your school’s leadership.
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding the systematic supervision for the use of new researched based instructional practices by your principal and literacy specialist?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

2. 
   Regarding the comprehensive curriculum of the Grade Level Content Expectations:
   

• 
  What are the ways you learn about curriculum, i.e. GLCEs?
  
• 
  How do you implement the curriculum as defined by the GLCEs?
  
• 
  Generally, why do you adhere to the GLCEs?
  

• 
  Does your district have the GLCEs attached to its school improvement plan? If so, what role did you play in creating this plan?
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding your use of the comprehensive curriculum of the Grade Level Content Expectations?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

3. 
   Regarding supported professional development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment:
   

• 
  What is your main purpose in participating in a professional development opportunity?
  
• 
  What are the usual types of professional development you participate in? How often do you attend professional development activities?
  

• 
  What professional development activity was most useful/helpful to you? What did you learn from the experience? What about the activity made it helpful?
  
• 
  Have you experienced any frustrations when implementing new knowledge? If so, how did you respond to them?
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding professional development in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

4. 
   Regarding your leaders’ knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment?
   

• 
  When you want to discuss what you have learned from a professional development opportunity, with whom do you talk to at your school?
  
  • 
    How would you describe your school’s leadership in promoting your participation in professional development?
    
  • 
    Besides the formal professional development events, how often do you talk with other people in your school about improving teaching? With whom? In what setting? How would you describe your school’s leadership in promoting your participation in professional development?
    

• 
  Who would you identify as your learning coach, if you have one? What barriers were encountered regarding your leaders’ having knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

2. Within your school that has experienced significant increases in its students’ writing scores (including at-risk student sub-populations), to what extent and how do you believe the following classroom-based instructional practices influenced those results and what barriers were encountered:

1. 
   phonics instruction;
   

• 
  To what extent did phonics instruction influence your students’ writing?
  
• 
  How? Can you tell me about one example.
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with phonics instruction?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

2. 
   guided reading including basal;
   

• 
  To what extent did guided reading instruction influence your students’ writing?
  
• 
  How? Can you tell me about one example?
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with guided reading?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

3. 
   self-selected reading of trade books;
   

• 
  To what extent did self-selecting reading influence your students’ writing?
  
• 
  How? Can you tell me about one example?
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with self-selected reading of trade books?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

4. 
   writing instruction?
   

• 
  To what extent did writing instruction that included modeling, conferencing while students write, and sharing influence your students’ writing?
  
• 
  How? Can you tell me about one example?
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with writing instruction?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

Questions for Leaders

1. 
   the systematic supervision of the teachers:
   

• 
  How do you supervise the school reaction to change in literacy instruction?
  

• 
  Who encourages you to lead your school to participate in researched instructional practices?
  
• 
  What impact do you have on the learning culture of your school or district?
  
• 
  There are teachers who participate in professional development opportunities and return to the classroom to implement their new learning. Please describe your experiences of support for your teachers.
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding your systematic supervision for the use of new researched based instructional practices by yourself and literacy specialist?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

b. the comprehensive curriculum of the Grade Level Content Expectations:

• 
  What are the ways you learn about curriculum, i.e. GLCEs?
  
• 
  How do you implement the curriculum as defined by the GLCEs?
  
• 
  Generally, why do you adhere to the GLCEs?
  

• 
  Does your district have the GLCEs attached to its school improvement plan? If so, what role did you play in creating this plan?
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding your use of the comprehensive curriculum of the Grade Level Content Expectations?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

c. supported professional development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment:

• 
  What is your main purpose in participating in a professional development opportunity?
  
• 
  What are the usual types of professional development you participate in? How often to you attend professional development activities?
  

• 
  What professional development activity was most useful/helpful to you? What did you learn from the experience? What about the activity made it helpful?
  
• 
  Have you experienced any frustrations when implementing new knowledge at your building? If so, how did you respond to them?
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding your use of the comprehensive curriculum of the Grade Level Content Expectations?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

d. as leader, regarding your knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment?

• 
  When you want to discuss what you have learned from a professional development opportunity, with whom do you talk to at your school?
  

• 
  Besides the formal professional development events, how often do you talk with other people in your school about improving teaching? With whom? In what setting? What do you talk about?
  
• 
  How would you describe your leadership in promoting your participation in professional development?
  
• 
  Who would you identify as your school’s learning coach, if you have one?
  

• 
  What barriers were encountered regarding your having knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment?
  
• 
  How have you overcome these barriers?
  

2. Within your school that has experienced significant increases in its students’ writing scores (including at-risk student sub-populations), to what extent and how do you believe the following classroom-based instructional practices influenced those results:

1. 
   phonics instruction;
   

• 
  To what extent did phonics instruction impact your students’ writing?
  

• 
  How? Can you give me one example?
  
• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with phonics instruction?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

2. 
   guided reading including basal;
   

• 
  To what extent did guided reading instruction impact your students’ writing?
  

• 
  How? Can you give me one example?
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with guided reading?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

3. 
   self-selected reading of trade books;
   

• 
  To what extent did self-selecting reading impact your students’ writing?
  

• 
  How? Can you give me one example?
  

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with self-selected reading of trade books?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

4. 
   writing instruction?
   

• 
  To what extent did writing instruction that included modeling, conferencing while students write, and sharing impact your students’ writing?
  
  • 
    How?
    

• 
  What key barriers were encountered regarding new instructional practices having to do with writing instruction?
  
• 
  What strategies were utilized for overcoming such barriers?
  

Appendix D

Transcriptionist Confidentiality Form

1. 
   To hold in strictest confidence the identification of any individual that may be inadvertently revealed during the transcription of audio taped interviews, or in any associated documents;
   

2. 
   To not make copies of any audiotapes or computerized files of the transcribed interview texts, unless specifically requested to do so by _______;
   

3. 
   To store all study-related audiotapes and materials in a safe, secure location as long as they are in my possession;
   

4. 
   To return all audiotapes and study-related documents to _______ in a complete and timely manner.
   

I am aware that I can be held legally liable for any breach of this confidentiality agreement, and for any harm incurred by individuals if I disclose identifiable information contained in the audiotapes and/or files to which I will have access.

__________________________________________ ________________

Signature Date

Appendix E

Table A1
Thematic Distribution

Appendix F

Table A2
Summary of Participant Information Regarding Barriers