Teacher Perceptions of Administrative Support for Democratic Practice: Implications for Leadership and Policy

In: Academic leadership

Abstract

This paper reports results from a qualitative study that examined perceptions of administrative practiceexpressed by members of a grassroots teacher group committed to the practice of democraticeducation. The group (the Friday Roundtable) was comprised of K-12 public school teachers in ruralAppalachian Ohio who spent considerable time together trying to answer the collective question howcan we be better teachers? A key element of that dialogue involved consideration of increased stateand national pressures that often included educational expectations of their building administrators thatthe teachers perceived as undemocratic. Using case studies of eleven individual teachers situated inboth a Narrative Inquiry and Appreciative Inquiry design, the investigation examines the democraticeducational work of these teachers as they pursue educational equity in their highly-challenged schools.