Los Maestros de Educa la Administración (MSA) en la Universidad Oriental de Carolina culmina con un puestos de interno de un año que integra múltiples evaluaciones para evaluar experiencias administrativas. Uno de las evaluaciones tiene en cuenta facultad para determinar cómo las experiencias de cada estudiante alinean con la Escuela del norte de Carolina Estándares Ejecutivos (NCSES). El análisis de pautas de experiencias para el puestos de interno 2009-2010 revelarán tendencias de los indicadores siguientes: tiempo del año, el tipo de programa, del género, y de la etnia. Adicionalmente, las inspecciones de supervisar a directores y facultad de MSA describe las tendencias más a fundo y también identifica estrategias que aumentaron y/o las experiencias dificultadas de internos.

It almost seems pragmatic that in an era where educational reform is a point of emphasis locally and nationally that the very first place one would begin to search for answers to very reasonable and valid questions would be leadership. The emphasis on leaders being visionaries can’t be overstated. The effects of guidance from individuals who are unwilling and unable to think forward has been painfully felt in schools across the nation far too long, and can arguably be seen as the cause to the demise of our educational values and system as we know it (Levine, 2005). But even harping on leaders to be visionaries won’t really get to the root of the issue and spark the necessary transition in education that is desired in this country. One important factor that can do that is an evaluation and examination of what our leaders are being taught in their preparation programs and how that information may be preparing or ill-preparing them for success.

With accountability being the focal point of school districts and the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind law hanging in the balance principals are being asked to be great under the most stressful situations in education as we know it, which is why evaluating what’s being taught in Masters of School Administration (MSA) programs is essential. Wilmore (2001) suggested that it is important to focus on preparing new school leaders to address the challenges facing our nation resulting in an educated citizenry. A principal is no longer just an administrator, but also the instructional leader and is heavily involved in assessment, curriculum, and data analysis (Butler, 2008). To support this transition what’s seen now from universities and other preparation programs is an insistent approach to instructional, managerial, interdependent, and cooperative leadership as well as the use of current technology and the coaching of its MSA candidates through the internship experience to provide “real-life” perspective of their role as principal (Butler, 2008). Not only does research show a change in the course delivery of preparation programs (Levine, 2005), but also an emphasis on standards-based instruction. Wilmore (2001) contends that application of the national standards by preparation programs creates a focus that has lacked for years by states and various administrative groups. To have such an emphasis and direction isn’t by itself going to reshape leadership programs. However, focus on the new standards should lead to a fundamental rethinking of content, delivery, and assessment (Lashway, 2003).

In an effort to take knowledge gained in the classroom and put it into practice, most candidates seeking administrative licensure are required to complete an internship. The notable goal of this internship is to provide future school leaders adequate preparation that should clearly link theory to the real world problems faced by school administrators (Risen & Tripses, 2008). Once again the standards of practice are at the forefront of this experience and subsequently are requiring that future school leaders be apt to be better problem solvers. It is expected that through the internship experience that the principal intern should be integrated as part of the school climate and given tasks that will help to aid this individual in the development of instructional and managerial leadership (Devlin-Scherer, Devlin-Scherer, & Couture, 2000). However, the intern is not left to fend for him/herself. In principal preparation programs today most interns are provided a mentor to serve as a guide in the process of becoming an effective administrator. In fact, Risen & Tripses (2008) notes that well-designed programs include extensive mentored internships that integrate theory and practice and progressively developing administrative competencies through a range of practical experiences.

There are desired outcomes that are more specific for the principal intern than just immersion into the school setting and becoming a great problem solver. These results are developed by the student in collaboration with the university and site supervisors/mentors (Risen & Tripses, 2008). However, one former principal intern took it a step further. She and the principal she was interning with sat down and created a list of skills they both felt she needed to possess at the completion of her internship. This helped her to develop a vision for the internship experience. Gray (2001) mentioned that such development ensures that the principal intern isn’t just another pair of hands, but has the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills. In her article, Principal Internship: Five Tips for a Successful and Rewarding Experience, Gray, outlines five points she believes will help any intern maximize the field experience opportunity, developing a vision for the internship experience is tip two. In addition to creating a vision with the principal, Gray mentions that the principal must be sure to permit the intern to experience everything that happens in the school and at the central office. Interns need to have a clear picture of all the duties and responsibilities that are expected of a principal, as well as the knowledge and skills that enable them to be effective school administrators, she acknowledges. The other tips Gray offers for a successful internship align directly with what is primarily discussed in principal preparation programs today. They are: integrate the intern into the school, gradually increase the responsibilities of the intern, provide time for continuous evaluation, and rely on the university supervisor (mentor) when problems arise.

In an era where field-based experiences are the cornerstone of principal preparation programs, finding an effective tool to assess and evaluate student learning has become pivotal. Showing evidence of instructional and managerial leadership as well as collaboration with different stakeholders within the educational environment has been proven to be necessary for the principal internship to be considered valuable (Scherer et al., 2000). Through the use of portfolios, the supervisor and/or mentor of the principal intern may be able to see this kind of professional, personal growth and reflective practice (Stader & Neely, 2001). However, the use of the portfolio is not to simply journal about the experience, but it’s to show how the intern’s experiences are aligned with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC) through the production of artifacts (Stader & Neely, 2001). The compilation of such documents, in general, shows that the student is able to demonstrate theory-to-practice connections or simply able to put theory to use (Wilmore & Erlandson, 1995).

For some universities and programs the way this portfolio looks today is slightly different than how it has looked in the past. These work-related documents have been known to encompass great amounts of paper usage and include documents such as research papers written in class to a completed school schedule (Hackmann & Alsbury, 2005). Many principal preparation programs are transitioning to paperless portfolios, also known as webfolios, a tightly integrated collection of web-based multi-media documents that [could include] curricular standards, course assignments, student artifacts in response to an assignment, and reviewer feedback of students’ work (Love, McKean, & Gathercoal, 2004). While the paper portfolios and e-portfolios can be somewhat limiting, the webfolio is designed to be robust enough to showcase organization of student work, curriculum collaboration, and authentic evidence for assessment, evaluation, and reporting (Love et al., 2004). As a principal intern using such a system to log progress of skills acquired while on the job, knowledge of theory, and application of the ISLCC standards would make clear the maturation process needed to be considered an effective administrator.

Self-evaluation is always one of the toughest, most stringent things to do, but it is essential in principal preparation programs. It has been well documented that colleges and universities must ensure that they are keeping up with performance standards (SACS, 2010). Educational administration faculty members should engage in continuous self-assessments of the effectiveness of their administrator preparation programs so that they can identify areas in which their students could be more effectively prepared to assume leadership roles (Hackmann & Alsbury, 2005). The intern’s portfolio is often a tool used to evaluate a program’s effectiveness in providing the kind of experiences that would make the student ready to lead. Hackmann and Alsbury (2005) state that an analysis of authentic artifacts contained in student portfolios could be helpful in evaluating a program’s effectiveness in aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessments to the program goals and curriculum standards. However, the primary tool used to conduct such an evaluation is the survey. Typically the individuals who are asked to participate in the completion of the survey are the students (interns), school administrators, supervisors/mentors of the interns, and perhaps someone from the school district. Although surveys conducted by principal preparation programs usually focus on the quality of the preparation that the candidate for administrative licensure is receiving and only give you insight to that individual’s perception (Hackmann & Alsbury, 2005) they do categorically outline several areas of importance to the programs doing the evaluating and those participating in it. For example, in several surveys the question of course content relating to the field experience was an area frequently addressed. On other surveys questions were designed that targeted the effectiveness of the field experience and responsibilities given to the intern by the administrator of the school. Overall, most surveys sought to evaluate the programs by focusing on the internship experience and whether or not what the intern was exposed to would in fact translate in to success as an administrator.

Another useful component to using a survey in evaluating a school’s effective preparation of its participants is using the survey to make note of the variety of experiences had by gender, age, and ethnicity during the internship. It is imperative that programs take into account the experience of the male and female while considering that, generally, both genders will experience the same things but value them differently, thus having a significant impact on whether a program is deemed as effective or ineffective. Women and men communicate differently and they listen for different information (Crabb, 1996). Crabb (1996) offers an example by stating that, Shakeshaft (1989), reports that both men and women value competency and trust but they give each a different priority. Women place competency first and trust next. For men the placement is reversed (Crabb, 1996). Such data collected via survey can, in fact, offer details about what gender types consider being most important and valuable during the MSA internship.

East Carolina University (ECU) is the largest producer of school leaders in North Carolina. Its output is critical to the state due to its geographic location east of the I-95 corridor where the majority of school districts are rural with high levels of poverty and a growing number of English language learner students (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction [NCDPI], 2007). The MSA program at ECU has a mission to serve the region by preparing graduates to address the unique needs of the region by concentrating on rural education, field based experiences, and emphasis on children with linguistic and socioeconomic diversity. The majority of MSA graduates will stay in the same geographical region and work in leadership positions in the various school districts in the area. Throughout the MSA program students participate in many simulations and field based experiences that are closely aligned with the North Carolina School Executive (NCSE) standards.

Mid-continent Research on Education and Learning (MCREL) and NCDPI (2006) collaborated to develop a new set of NCSE standards that reflected a new vision for school leadership. This new vision indentified skills of an executive that guides an organization through processes of change rather than skills of a manager. The stated purpose of the standards was to provide a guide for principals and assistant principals to be used as a reflection tool in leadership growth and development in the 21^st century (NCSE, 2006). There are seven standards of executive leadership: strategic leadership, instructional leadership, cultural leadership, human resource leadership, managerial leadership, external development leadership, and micropolitical leadership. Each of these standards contains a set of approximately 10 executive practices describing each standard. Along with the standards and practices NCSE identified 21 competencies that described knowledge and skills that executives must exhibit in their leadership positions. Some competencies mentioned in the standards are: communication, conflict management, customer focus, global perspective, personal ethics, and time management. The NCSE standards were approved by the North Carolina board of education and are now the basis for assistant principal and principal evaluation in the state. At the preservice level, the North Carolina university system in collaboration with NCDPI developed a similar set of standards for MSA programs to follow in principal preparation.

ECU’s MSA program incorporated the NCSE pre-service standards for principal preparation throughout the coursework as well as the NCSE standards, especially during the internship. During the required year-long internship students were expected to keep a log of internship experiences along with a weekly reflection on their experiences. In order to align the experiences with the NCSE standards and competencies, each student was asked to reflect on two significant experiences a week and to indicate the connection between the experiences and the standards using TaskStream, the webfolio application utilized by the MSA at ECU. Students completing the internship are required to use webfolios as one of the assessment tools. Incorporating portfolios/webfolios as evidence of student outcomes that align to state and national education standards is a widely used approach to meet the accreditation requirements of programs and institutions (Strudler & Wetzel, 2005). After researching available venues the faculty at ECU selected a web-based system entitled TaskStream. The webfolio was able to generate reports describing how students compared their learning experiences to the practices and competencies delineated by the NCSE.

Internship students were required to log their activities daily, reflect on two experiences weekly that they aligned to the NCSE, and submitted this information to their supervising faculty via TaskStream on a monthly basis. The analysis of data in this study searched for patterns of usage of the standards and competencies throughout the year-long internship.

The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of perceived usage of NCSE standard practices and competencies as determined by principal interns’ reflections. Faculty (n=12) supervising interns and all interns (n=101) for the school year 2009-10 used TaskStream for their webfolio. A supervising faculty member was selected to coordinate the development and implementation process for the program. The year-long internship was completed during the final year in the MSA program. This study identified candidate self-reported patterns based on calendar time, program type, gender, and ethnicity. The research questions are as follows:

The first research question analyzed candidate self-reported patterns of usage at three different times during the calendar year (May – September; October – December; and January – April) to determine which practices and competencies were practiced the most and the least. The second research question attempted to determine if there were differences in the candidates self-perceived patterns due to factors such as gender, ethnicity, and program type. Two different program types were compared. One program type, part-time MSA, included students who are full time classroom teachers completing their internship. A second program type included full time administrators completing their internship. Additional variations within each program were analyzed and described in the results section.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, the MSA program at ECU had a student internship enrollment of 105 candidates; 16 candidates were enrolled full-time, 79 candidates were enrolled part-time. Additionally, the ethnicity and gender were represented within this cohort (see Table 1).

The internship experience encompassed the time period of May 2009 thru April 2010. The internship was divided into three segments; May–September, October-December, and January- April. Overall, Instructional Leadership and Managerial Leadership emerged as the most frequently practiced standards. Human Resource Leadership emerged as being consistently the lowest practiced standard (see Table 2).

The three time segments of the internship experience parallel the academic public/private school calendar; May-September is comparable to summer and beginning of the public/private school year; October-December is comparable to mid-year public/private school year; and January-April is comparable to the end of the public/private school year. The data revealed the internship segment from January-April yielded consistently high patterns of perceived practice using all of the 21 Competencies. Additionally, the Competency practice increased during each segment of time beginning with the May-September time period. The data also revealed that the Competency Communication was practiced the most by the candidates followed by Judgment (see Table 3).

When considering the Standards and gender, the candidate self-reported data revealed that male candidates consistently averaged practicing the Standards more than females. Male candidates practiced six of the seven standards more than female candidates (see Table 4). When considering the competencies and gender, the data revealed that male candidates consistently averaged practicing the Competencies more than females. Male candidates practiced all 21 Competencies more than female candidates (see Table 5).

Examining the Standards and ethnicity, the data revealed consistent use of practicing the Standards across all ethnic groups represented. However, Human Resource Leadership Standard practice was somewhat lower with African Americans. Additionally, Cultural Leadership practice was lower in the Other ethnic group (see Table 6).

When considering the Competencies and ethnicity, the data revealed that Whites consistently practiced the Competencies less than other ethnic groups represented. Additionally, though the ethnic group labeled as Other had a low N, this group consistently practiced the Competencies more than the other ethnic groups (see Table7).

Examining type of program and Standards, the data revealed that part-time candidates averaged practicing six of the seven Standards more than their full-time counterparts. Micropolitical Leadership was the only Standard practiced more by full-time candidates compared to the part-time candidates (see Table 8).

Examining type of program and the Competencies, the self-reported data revealed no patterns of differences in the Competencies practiced by full-time and part-time candidates. However, the self-reported data did reveal that full-time and part-time candidates practiced Communication and Judgment more often that the other 19 Competencies (see Table 9).

Based on the results of the study, the two research questions were addressed.

Research Question One. What were the patterns of learning compared to the NCSES Standards and Competencies? The data revealed that the Standards Instructional Leadership and Managerial Leadership were practiced more frequently by the candidates; the Competencies Communication and Judgment were also practiced more frequently by the candidates.

Research Question Two. Was there a difference in learning patterns associated with the NCSES Standards and Competencies when considering gender, ethnicity, program type, and time of year? Male candidates consistently practiced the Standards and Competencies more than the females, there was not much discernable difference in learning patterns among ethnic groups, part-time candidates averaged practicing the Standards and Competencies more than full-time candidates, and patterns of learning associated with the NCSES Standards and Competencies were practiced more during the time period from January-April. Additionally, the NCSES Standards and Competencies were practiced more during each subsequent time period beginning with the May-September segmented.

The MSA candidates’ perception is that they are being provided opportunities by their respective site supervisors and facilitated by their University supervisors to practice Standards and Competencies. Based on the results of the study the following conclusions can be inferred:

In conclusion, site supervisors and University supervisors may need to monitor the interns practice related the NCSE Competencies to ensure a comprehensive use of the Competencies and Standards. Additionally, site supervisors and University supervisors may need to monitor the time of year related to the practice of the Standards and Competencies.

The following three recommendations were made based on the results of this study.

The additional research needs to explore differences in learning patterns based on the various ethnic and gender combinations. For example, African American male, African American female, White male, White female, Hispanic male, Hispanic female, and including any additional ethnic and gender combinations

The additional research needs to explore the differences in learning patterns based on the three variables mentioned above. Again, these variables need to be explored in combination patterns

The need for additional research is needed by region. This data may reveal that some districts are doing a better job of providing the intern with experiences related to the Standards and Competencies. This would allow for the University preparation program to further investigate best practices in order to share with other districts for program and leadership development improvement.