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Educational Administration Quarterly
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Leading Coherent Professional Development: A Comparison of Three Districts

William A. Firestone

Center for Educational Policy Analysis, Rutgers University

Melinda M. Mangin

Center of Educational Policy Analysis at Rutgers University

M. Cecilia Martinez

Ph.D. Educational Policy Program, Center of Educational Policy Analysis at Rutgers University

Terrie Polovsky

Center for Educational Policy Analysis at Rutgers Graduate School

A comparison of three urban school systems suggests that district offices can influence teaching through professional development. District leaders can structure their programs to provide coherent and content-focused professional development. The district orientation (vision, emphasis on professional development, use of human resources) set by the dominant coalition of leaders—including but not limited to the superintendent—in each district influenced the coherence and content focus of the professional development programs. District differences in their organizational capacity affected coordination and planning of professional development. The district with the most coherent focus on helping teachers develop deeper knowledge about select subject areas had the greatest teacher-reported influence on teaching practice.

Key Words: district leadership • professional development • superintendents • district capacity • district organization

Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 3, 413-448 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0013161X04269605
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