EXAMINING INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION IN A LEADERSHIP PREPARATION PROGRAM: A COMPARISON OF SUPERVISION EXPERIENCES IN DIFFERENT INTERNSHIP STRUCTURES by Robin

The following individuals read and discussed the dissertation submitted by student Robin David Winslow, and they evaluated his presentation and response to questions during the final oral examination. They found that the student passed the final oral examination. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my wife Kathy who supported and encouraged me through another one of my foolish endeavors. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I was very fortunate that Dr. Keith Thiede was my chair for my Dissertation Committee. He encouraged me to begin my doctoral program and he provided ongoing support through every phase of my research and dissertation. Dr. Keith Thiede is a great friend and mentor. vi ABSTRACT Instructional leadership is an essential role for school leaders. School leaders must be equipped with the skills to directly improve instruction. This study focused on how a leadership preparation program can prepare aspiring school leaders in instructional supervision skills during an internship. The study compared different instructional supervision structures with interns in the same program. One group of interns practiced instructional supervision skills with pre-service teachers and the other group practiced instructional supervision skills with teachers in their respective schools. Interns were assessed on the quality of supervision, beliefs about supervision, and the knowledge of the supervision process. The results showed that the internship structure affected the experience of interns, but not their beliefs about supervision. The structure also affected knowledge of the supervision process. These results suggest that internship structure may be an important factor influencing the effectiveness of a preparation program, and point to the benefits of exploring new approaches of teaching in leadership programs.