FOSTERING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE FOR WOMEN IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: A CASE STUDY OF THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE JEAN E. WINSAND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

Communities still look upon universities for leadership because university coordinated programs are regarded as catalysts for change. My study is an exploration of a university-coordinated forum that provides a gendered space for women to excel in school leadership. My research, conducted as a case study, explored ways in which women as participants of the Jean Winsand International Institute (JWII) are fostering a community of practice among aspiring and practicing educational administrators in Western Pennsylvania. By focusing on women's perceptions, this study helps reshape and document the collective voices of women in educational administration in Western Pennsylvania in order to provide formative feedback for the Institute. Using communities of practice as an analysis tool, my case study focused on the broader picture of professional development by addressing the how, why, for whom and by what means the JWII affects its participants. This case study used mixed methodology research design and is framed within constructivism. All past and current attendees of this forum were my informants. For data collection, I used informal interviews, a pre-survey with 7 open-ended questionnaire items and a demographic section, and a final original survey instrument with 94 structured Likert-type rating scale and 9 open-ended items. I used forum agendas for document analysis and also collected data through participant observation of the annual conference. Major findings show that although the JWII is serving multiple cohorts well in fostering women school leaders it still lacks racial diversity and has difficulties attracting young professionals because of systemic and policy constraints. Overall, the JWII is attuned to issues of social justice as it provides a gendered space for practitioners to acquire and share knowledge and skills relevant to their practice in the schools