Rebecca Burns - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Rebecca Burns

Journal of educational supervision, Apr 4, 2024

Due to the marginalization of supervision (Butler, et al., 2023; Nolan, 2022) and few frameworks ... more Due to the marginalization of supervision (Butler, et al., 2023; Nolan, 2022) and few frameworks to conceptualize supervision in teacher preparation, educational supervision of clinical experiences receives less attention and fewer resources, which perpetuates its marginalization. It is imperative that scholars develop additional theoretical models or constructs to improve the understanding and practice of supervision to elevate its status beyond technical helping. In this paper, we draw upon several sources in the instructional supervision literature to reconceptualize commonly used images of supervisors in teacher education. In addition to traditional conceptions (The Critic, the Popular Parent, the Co-Inquirer), we 'introduce' two new images, The Advocate and The Contemplative, to reflect changes and movements in education. These images can serve as one theoretical model or construct to improve understanding and practice of supervision to elevate its status.

PDS Partners Bridging Research to Practice, Sep 18, 2023

Purpose-The purpose of this article is to unpack more deeply Essential 2: Clinical Preparation. T... more Purpose-The purpose of this article is to unpack more deeply Essential 2: Clinical Preparation. This article offers a comparison of the first and second editions of Essential 2 and also provides resources and activities partners can use and engage in to deepen their work on the clinical preparation of teachers. Originality/value-This article is being resubmitted so that it can be reprinted with the other Nine Essential articles.

PDS Partners: Bridging Research to Practice

PurposeThe National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that ther... more PurposeThe National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that there is a tendency for the term “PDS” (Professional Development School) to be used as a catch-all for various relationships that constitute school–university partnership work. The intent of this NAPDS statement is to assert the essentials, or fundamental qualities, of a PDS. NAPDS encourages all those working in school–university relationships to embrace the Nine Essentials of PDSs communicated in this statement. The Essentials are written in tangible, rather than abstract, language and represent practical goals toward which work in a PDS should be directed.Design/methodology/approachPolicy statement.FindingsNAPDS maintains that these Nine Essentials need to be present for a school-university relationship to be called a PDS. Without having all nine, the relationship that exists between a school/district and college/university, albeit however strong, would not be a PDS. How individual PDSs m...

Journal of educational supervision, Dec 18, 2023

University supervision of teacher candidates is a well-recognized component of teacher preparatio... more University supervision of teacher candidates is a well-recognized component of teacher preparation. However, teacher education has long devalued supervision, largely relying upon retired teachers, administrators, and graduate students to serve as supervisors, often with little training or support. Although clinical practice has received increased focus among accrediting bodies, supervision as a field of scholarship and practice continues to receive little support within institutions or attention in teacher education. As supervision practitioners and scholars, the three authors engaged in collaborative self-study, sharing and interrogating professional autobiographies and narratives related to supervision, to make sense of institutional and professional contexts and to interrogate the tensions of practice and legitimacy surrounding supervision in teacher education. Together, we acknowledged the complexity of supervision, challenged dominant narratives of supervision institutionally and professionally, and constructed new spaces of supervisory practice and learning. Learning from our experiences, teacher educators can better understand how to prepare and support future supervision scholars and practitioners.

Teacher education is entering an exciting era for professional development schools (PDS). Recent ... more Teacher education is entering an exciting era for professional development schools (PDS). Recent reform efforts have called for increased school-university partnerships (AACTE, 2010; NCATE, 2010), which means that the PDS community may be well poised to offer insight into the necessary boundary-spanning roles and structures needed to support robust school-university partnerships. The purpose of this qualitative meta-analysis was to use the findings from thirteen empirical studies from the past 30 years to generate new knowledge about the boundary-spanner role in PDS. Findings revealed that in the PDS literature terms for boundary-spanners are contextually-based and therefore vary greatly. This variance has created a lack of common terminology and potentially a lack of common understanding of the boundary-spanner role. The findings also revealed that the boundary-spanner role is supervisory by nature. Implications offer a beginning framework for scholars to use when describing bounda...

The 2014 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the partnership between ... more The 2014 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the partnership between the University of South Florida and Hillsborough County Public Schools for its outstanding collaborative accomplishments, and so named it one of the four recipients of the National Association for Professional Development Schools Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement Award. This partnership also won the 2014 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Program in Teacher Education, and the 2014 University of South Carolina Spirit of Partnership Award. This article describes the work of this innovative urban school-university partnership as it relates to the NAPDS Nine Essentials (2008) of professional development schoolwork. NAPDS Essentials Addressed: All of the ‘‘Nine Essentials’’ are addressed in this article.

Journal of Educational Supervision, 2020

For this special issue, Advancing Supervision in Clinically-Based Teacher Education, we invited c... more For this special issue, Advancing Supervision in Clinically-Based Teacher Education, we invited conceptual papers, empirical research studies, descriptive narratives, and evaluations of supervision from faculty, emerging scholars, professionals, and practitioners situated in teacher preparation contexts. The papers included illuminate how supervision in clinical teacher education is being improved, studied, or developed.

Action in Teacher Education, 2015

University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning ... more University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning in the context of fieldwork. Without such knowledge and skill, interactions between university mentors and teacher candidates is often evaluative, thus undermining the educative potential of mentoring. We focus on mentoring practices employed in the context of the post-observation conference. Findings from a year-long implementation study show that when university mentors are introduced to an educative mentoring protocol and are provided with sustained professional development, their mentoring practices shift from an evaluative to an educative focus. University mentors indicate that this shift, initially perceived as unnatural, was supported through the scaffolding provided by the protocol and ongoing professional development. Shifts in university mentors' practices supported teacher candidate reflection and growth. By foregrounding the educative function, this work adds to the theory-based conceptualization of the knowledge and skills needed for the effective mentoring of those learning to teach.

Action in Teacher Education, 2015

University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning ... more University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning in the context of fieldwork. Without such knowledge and skill, interactions between university mentors and teacher candidates is often evaluative, thus undermining the educative potential of mentoring. We focus on mentoring practices employed in the context of the post-observation conference. Findings from a year-long implementation study show that when university mentors are introduced to an educative mentoring protocol and are provided with sustained professional development, their mentoring practices shift from an evaluative to an educative focus. University mentors indicate that this shift, initially perceived as unnatural, was supported through the scaffolding provided by the protocol and ongoing professional development. Shifts in university mentors' practices supported teacher candidate reflection and growth. By foregrounding the educative function, this work adds to the theory-based conceptualization of the knowledge and skills needed for the effective mentoring of those learning to teach.

Journal of Educational Supervision, 2021

Teaching has always been a stressful profession, but the additions of high-stakes accountability ... more Teaching has always been a stressful profession, but the additions of high-stakes accountability coupled with a global pandemic have increased stress to unprecedented levels. Thus, supervision must attend to teacher wellness to improve instructional practice. This article offers practical suggestions educational leaders can implement in their supervision to support teachers' emotional well-being. Those strategies include being humble, giving statements of affirmation and practice, using data to drive inquiry, focusing on strengths, offering concrete suggestions, thinking aloud, re-energizing teachers intellectually, leveraging community resources, and developing teacher leaders. More information about these strategies and other practical ways to support teacher learning can be found in the book Leadership for Learning: How to Bring Out the Best in Teachers (2nd ed.).

School-University …, 2009

Abstract: The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the profession... more Abstract: The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the professional development school partnership between Pennsylvania State University and State College Area School District for its meritorious partnership work over time and so ...

Professional Development in Education, 2015

Teachers today operate in highly politicized accountability environments where quick results, typ... more Teachers today operate in highly politicized accountability environments where quick results, typically measured by K–12 test scores, are demanded. Although focusing on student learning outcomes is critical, equally essential is assuring that teacher learning opportunities which can strengthen instruction are available to teachers. A decade ago, Boardman and Woodruff found that teaching in a ‘high-stakes’ environment led to more assessments, scripted curriculum decisions and a shift in professional development that emphasized preparation for and enhancing results on tests. This exploratory, descriptive case study sought to understand how teachers described professional development a decade later. We used purposeful sampling and qualitative methodology to better understand educator perceptions of professional learning within two different accountability environments in the United States. Using the insights of educators working in these environments, the research explored ‘How do teachers describe the influence of accountability on their professional learning?’ We achieved this by asking teachers directly about their professional learning opportunities. This article points to the potential inequitable influence various sanctions have on teacher professional learning. Findings illustrate that although job-embedded professional development opportunities existed in both contexts, the nature, quality and outcomes of the professional learning differed.

Journal of educational supervision, Apr 4, 2024

Due to the marginalization of supervision (Butler, et al., 2023; Nolan, 2022) and few frameworks ... more Due to the marginalization of supervision (Butler, et al., 2023; Nolan, 2022) and few frameworks to conceptualize supervision in teacher preparation, educational supervision of clinical experiences receives less attention and fewer resources, which perpetuates its marginalization. It is imperative that scholars develop additional theoretical models or constructs to improve the understanding and practice of supervision to elevate its status beyond technical helping. In this paper, we draw upon several sources in the instructional supervision literature to reconceptualize commonly used images of supervisors in teacher education. In addition to traditional conceptions (The Critic, the Popular Parent, the Co-Inquirer), we 'introduce' two new images, The Advocate and The Contemplative, to reflect changes and movements in education. These images can serve as one theoretical model or construct to improve understanding and practice of supervision to elevate its status.

PDS Partners Bridging Research to Practice, Sep 18, 2023

Purpose-The purpose of this article is to unpack more deeply Essential 2: Clinical Preparation. T... more Purpose-The purpose of this article is to unpack more deeply Essential 2: Clinical Preparation. This article offers a comparison of the first and second editions of Essential 2 and also provides resources and activities partners can use and engage in to deepen their work on the clinical preparation of teachers. Originality/value-This article is being resubmitted so that it can be reprinted with the other Nine Essential articles.

PDS Partners: Bridging Research to Practice

PurposeThe National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that ther... more PurposeThe National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that there is a tendency for the term “PDS” (Professional Development School) to be used as a catch-all for various relationships that constitute school–university partnership work. The intent of this NAPDS statement is to assert the essentials, or fundamental qualities, of a PDS. NAPDS encourages all those working in school–university relationships to embrace the Nine Essentials of PDSs communicated in this statement. The Essentials are written in tangible, rather than abstract, language and represent practical goals toward which work in a PDS should be directed.Design/methodology/approachPolicy statement.FindingsNAPDS maintains that these Nine Essentials need to be present for a school-university relationship to be called a PDS. Without having all nine, the relationship that exists between a school/district and college/university, albeit however strong, would not be a PDS. How individual PDSs m...

Journal of educational supervision, Dec 18, 2023

University supervision of teacher candidates is a well-recognized component of teacher preparatio... more University supervision of teacher candidates is a well-recognized component of teacher preparation. However, teacher education has long devalued supervision, largely relying upon retired teachers, administrators, and graduate students to serve as supervisors, often with little training or support. Although clinical practice has received increased focus among accrediting bodies, supervision as a field of scholarship and practice continues to receive little support within institutions or attention in teacher education. As supervision practitioners and scholars, the three authors engaged in collaborative self-study, sharing and interrogating professional autobiographies and narratives related to supervision, to make sense of institutional and professional contexts and to interrogate the tensions of practice and legitimacy surrounding supervision in teacher education. Together, we acknowledged the complexity of supervision, challenged dominant narratives of supervision institutionally and professionally, and constructed new spaces of supervisory practice and learning. Learning from our experiences, teacher educators can better understand how to prepare and support future supervision scholars and practitioners.

Teacher education is entering an exciting era for professional development schools (PDS). Recent ... more Teacher education is entering an exciting era for professional development schools (PDS). Recent reform efforts have called for increased school-university partnerships (AACTE, 2010; NCATE, 2010), which means that the PDS community may be well poised to offer insight into the necessary boundary-spanning roles and structures needed to support robust school-university partnerships. The purpose of this qualitative meta-analysis was to use the findings from thirteen empirical studies from the past 30 years to generate new knowledge about the boundary-spanner role in PDS. Findings revealed that in the PDS literature terms for boundary-spanners are contextually-based and therefore vary greatly. This variance has created a lack of common terminology and potentially a lack of common understanding of the boundary-spanner role. The findings also revealed that the boundary-spanner role is supervisory by nature. Implications offer a beginning framework for scholars to use when describing bounda...

The 2014 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the partnership between ... more The 2014 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the partnership between the University of South Florida and Hillsborough County Public Schools for its outstanding collaborative accomplishments, and so named it one of the four recipients of the National Association for Professional Development Schools Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement Award. This partnership also won the 2014 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Program in Teacher Education, and the 2014 University of South Carolina Spirit of Partnership Award. This article describes the work of this innovative urban school-university partnership as it relates to the NAPDS Nine Essentials (2008) of professional development schoolwork. NAPDS Essentials Addressed: All of the ‘‘Nine Essentials’’ are addressed in this article.

Journal of Educational Supervision, 2020

For this special issue, Advancing Supervision in Clinically-Based Teacher Education, we invited c... more For this special issue, Advancing Supervision in Clinically-Based Teacher Education, we invited conceptual papers, empirical research studies, descriptive narratives, and evaluations of supervision from faculty, emerging scholars, professionals, and practitioners situated in teacher preparation contexts. The papers included illuminate how supervision in clinical teacher education is being improved, studied, or developed.

Action in Teacher Education, 2015

University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning ... more University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning in the context of fieldwork. Without such knowledge and skill, interactions between university mentors and teacher candidates is often evaluative, thus undermining the educative potential of mentoring. We focus on mentoring practices employed in the context of the post-observation conference. Findings from a year-long implementation study show that when university mentors are introduced to an educative mentoring protocol and are provided with sustained professional development, their mentoring practices shift from an evaluative to an educative focus. University mentors indicate that this shift, initially perceived as unnatural, was supported through the scaffolding provided by the protocol and ongoing professional development. Shifts in university mentors' practices supported teacher candidate reflection and growth. By foregrounding the educative function, this work adds to the theory-based conceptualization of the knowledge and skills needed for the effective mentoring of those learning to teach.

Action in Teacher Education, 2015

University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning ... more University mentors require specialized knowledge and skill to support teacher candidate learning in the context of fieldwork. Without such knowledge and skill, interactions between university mentors and teacher candidates is often evaluative, thus undermining the educative potential of mentoring. We focus on mentoring practices employed in the context of the post-observation conference. Findings from a year-long implementation study show that when university mentors are introduced to an educative mentoring protocol and are provided with sustained professional development, their mentoring practices shift from an evaluative to an educative focus. University mentors indicate that this shift, initially perceived as unnatural, was supported through the scaffolding provided by the protocol and ongoing professional development. Shifts in university mentors' practices supported teacher candidate reflection and growth. By foregrounding the educative function, this work adds to the theory-based conceptualization of the knowledge and skills needed for the effective mentoring of those learning to teach.

Journal of Educational Supervision, 2021

Teaching has always been a stressful profession, but the additions of high-stakes accountability ... more Teaching has always been a stressful profession, but the additions of high-stakes accountability coupled with a global pandemic have increased stress to unprecedented levels. Thus, supervision must attend to teacher wellness to improve instructional practice. This article offers practical suggestions educational leaders can implement in their supervision to support teachers' emotional well-being. Those strategies include being humble, giving statements of affirmation and practice, using data to drive inquiry, focusing on strengths, offering concrete suggestions, thinking aloud, re-energizing teachers intellectually, leveraging community resources, and developing teacher leaders. More information about these strategies and other practical ways to support teacher learning can be found in the book Leadership for Learning: How to Bring Out the Best in Teachers (2nd ed.).

School-University …, 2009

Abstract: The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the profession... more Abstract: The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the professional development school partnership between Pennsylvania State University and State College Area School District for its meritorious partnership work over time and so ...

Professional Development in Education, 2015

Teachers today operate in highly politicized accountability environments where quick results, typ... more Teachers today operate in highly politicized accountability environments where quick results, typically measured by K–12 test scores, are demanded. Although focusing on student learning outcomes is critical, equally essential is assuring that teacher learning opportunities which can strengthen instruction are available to teachers. A decade ago, Boardman and Woodruff found that teaching in a ‘high-stakes’ environment led to more assessments, scripted curriculum decisions and a shift in professional development that emphasized preparation for and enhancing results on tests. This exploratory, descriptive case study sought to understand how teachers described professional development a decade later. We used purposeful sampling and qualitative methodology to better understand educator perceptions of professional learning within two different accountability environments in the United States. Using the insights of educators working in these environments, the research explored ‘How do teachers describe the influence of accountability on their professional learning?’ We achieved this by asking teachers directly about their professional learning opportunities. This article points to the potential inequitable influence various sanctions have on teacher professional learning. Findings illustrate that although job-embedded professional development opportunities existed in both contexts, the nature, quality and outcomes of the professional learning differed.