CRITICAL COLLEAGUESHIP DEVELOPMENT AMONGST ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PROCESS AND OUTCOMES

Mathematics coaches, as school-based instructional leaders, are well situated to promote instructional effectiveness and
student learning. This ability is enhanced through ongoing professional learning opportunities that position them alongside other instructional leaders actively developing the skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessary for facilitating change. This study, conducted in an urban school setting, draws on social learning theories to examine the influence of professional learning processes on mathematics instructional leaders’ critical colleagueship development and collaborative inquiry engagement. Findings indicate increasing attention on establishing collaboration agreements, shared transformational learning goals, and consistent meeting structures promotes critical colleagueship and team functioning in support of coaches’ own professional learning and their facilitation of learning for the teachers whom they support.