The Lived Experiences of Four Professional Development Directors in Urban Public School Districts

Abstract

This research study was conducted on four urban professional development directors. A qualitative research framework was embraced to hear four administrators describe their perceptions of professional development programs and the factors they believe impact teachers in their districts; as well as how the administrators describe their personal attributes contributing to their programs. The goal of my study was to expand the narrow research base concerning the lived experiences of urban professional development directors, whose voices and experiences can inform others about relevant issues and leading urban professional development programs. In order to create a stronger understanding of the director’s perceptions on leading urban professional development programs, this study examined constructed meanings through a narrative interpretive lens.

This qualitative study utilized the authentic words of the participants to convey their story, as it yielded a rich representation of the thoughts depicted. Data was gathered through in-depth, open-ended interviews and semi-structured interviews through which the events, beliefs and perceptions molded the phenomenon under investigation. Analysis of the data transpired immediately after each interview. Analytic conclusions were formed by classifying ideas and statements from the data to determine that significant constructs, themes and patterns surfaced.

The findings of this study produced the following as it connected to the voices of the four urban professional development directors and their perceptions of successful professional development programs: (1) multi-faceted professional development programs had to be created by each director; (2) the teacher was perceived as the dominant vehicle impacting student success; (3) programs that helped increase teacher confidence were a priority for each director. Two secondary themes emerged supporting the primary themes. The secondary themes were (1) strong strategic planning ability and (2) a high sense of accountability.