The Role of Leadership in Social-emotional Learning Implementation: Leadership and Classroom Environment

• Main Author: Langlois, Deborah
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Boston College 2018
• Subjects: Relationship building; Leadership; Social emotional learning
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107974

Thesis advisor: Vincent Cho === The purpose of this study was to understand the role of school leaders in supporting teachers as they build relationships with and between students in the classroom. These two important aspects of creating a positive classroom learning environment are necessary for Social Emotional Learning to be successful. This qualitative case study drew upon data from interviews with school leaders, teacher focus group interviews, and redacted teacher evaluations in one school district in Massachusetts. While the role of school leaders in the academic success of students has been explored in the literature, there is less research on the specific actions school leaders take to support teachers struggling with classroom environment issues. This study will explore the actions of school leaders through the lens of three leadership practices: setting direction, developing people, and redesigning the organization (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). The findings highlighted the difference in school leaders’ perception of the capacity of adults versus students to learn relationship building skills. In some cases school leaders were not confident that building these skills was possible and consequently they struggled to provide clear and specific strategies to teachers. The findings also reflect the reactive versus proactive nature of the support teachers received for building relationships with and between students. Recommendations include re-organizing resources to allow for more teacher collaboration, targeted professional development in relationship building and exploration regarding the difference in how student peer relationships were viewed compared to teacher student relationships. === Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. === Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. === Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.