Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of instructional leadership. An empirical study identifying the mental models of instructional leadership held by three urban elementary school principals at different stages in their careers was used to support the thesis. Using a collective case study design, the similarities and differences in mental models of a novice principal and two experienced principals, one of whom was an award winning principal, were examined. The results demonstrated differing levels of integration as well as variation regarding the conceptualization of instructional leadership. This study underscored the usefulness of the mental model concept in discussing instructional leadership.

The What's My School Mindset? (WMSM) survey is purported to operationalize teachers' beliefs of their school's ability to help all children learn and grow. In today's data driven educational climate it is important to select a reliable instrument for collecting teacher

<p>According to school growth mindset theory a school’s organizational structure influences teachers’ beliefs in their collective ability to help all students grow and learn; including those from diverse cultural, religious, identity, and socioeconomic demographics. The implicit theory of growth mindset has been quantified for a school’s culture on the What’s My School Mindset scale. This exploratory study was an initial effort to examine the content validity of the school growth mindset construct using SPSS to perform correlation analysis with multicultural relevant, organizational learning variables from the literature that were shown to explain improved school outcomes. Regression analysis tested the hypothesis that the independent variables would explain variations in a school’s growth mindset mean. Data was collected from a random stratified sample of middle and high school teachers (n = 64) and administrators (n = 5) in a large northwestern state. Responses were collected on the 19-question Likert-style WMSM survey. The overarching research question was, Is there a relationship between principal openness to change, faculty openness to change, work locus of control, and a school growth mindset? The results revealed organizational learning variables significantly correlated with a growth mindset culture and explained significant variations in the WMSM mean. The results have positive implications for providing school administrators with a way to measure their school’s culture and to provide feedback to teachers that can challenge their beliefs and inform improvements in culturally responsive teaching practices.</p>

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This study explored the relationship between school level and the psychosocial construct of a growth mindset school culture. Data was collected on the What's My School Mindset (WMSM) Survey from a stratified random sample of PK-12 faculty and administrators (n = ISSN 2377-2263 www.macrothink.org/jei 204 347) in 30 schools across a large northwestern state. The overarching research question was, "Is there a relationship between school level and a school's growth mindset?" Results revealed a significant decrease in the WMSM mean between elementary school level and high school level participant self-reports. Therefore, the results of this study could be used to create opportunities for faculty dialogue and reflection to changes perspectives, inform future practice, provide realistic ways to implement change by using research-based evidence to challenge assumptions; and give sound reasons for new practices. Journal of Educational Issues

This phenomenological study examined the complexity American Indian K-12 school leaders face on reservations in Montana, USA The study described how these leaders have to reconcile their Westernized educational leadership training with their traditional ways of knowing, living, and leading. Three major themes emerged that enabled these leaders to address racism in their schools and create spaces that were more conducive to the practice of culturally responsive pedagogy. The study highlights how leaders reconcile cultural clashes and confront racism by using identity, relationality, and renormed practices.

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