A PLC for digital age leadership

Abstract

There is a digital skill divide in K-12 education. School leaders have struggled to actualize how to lead their teachers and schools for digital age teaching and learning. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate how a district office of instructional technology and digital learning could deepen support for principals to identify and scale the meaningful impact of technology to improve student outcomes. Data collection in Cycle 1 consisted of reviewing and reflecting on teacher, instructional technology coach, principal, and district leader interviews. Action steps in Cycle 2 were designed, implemented, and analyzed to provide a virtual technology integration leadership professional learning community (PLC) for principals to create and implement action plans that leveraged technology tied to instructional goals. Findings included learning that a PLC for technology integration can be a powerful lever for principal ownership, self-efficacy, and leading in the digital age; instructional technology and digital learning leader and coaches' membership in the PLC mobilizes new action and support; principal engagement in a PLC leads to increased teacher support, and involvement provides opportunities for principals to actualize the ISTE leadership standards. Implications for the organization are to continue to innovate and create new professional learning models and support for leaders; include a PLC component into the technology integration learning for principals; create structures for support cycle to schools; design avenues for blending district initiatives; and that a district office focused on instructional technology and digital learning can be a successful model. Secondary implications include lessons learned from digital innovation during the pandemic.--Author's abstract