Circle of Empowerment

Rita L. Irwin is Assistant Professor of Visual and Performing Arts in Education at the University of British Columbia.

"Irwin offers an excellent portrayal of a school district's instructional supervisory responsibility. The topic is significant on two bases: women's issues and school administration. It is important in itself because of the methodology employed in the study, but is also important for educational administration and curriculum and instruction because of its detailed description of school district supervision. The additional insights regarding women's ways of leading are particularly intriguing, since most central office staff positions are filled by women. This is the first work I know of that highlights this role." — Flora Ida Ortiz, University of California, Riverside

• Preface 1. A Personal Introduction The Supervisor's Experiential World—A Biographical Sketch 2. Charismatic and Transformational Leadership within a Community of Women Arts Educators An Introduction to the Role of SupervisorWomen and LeadershipBeing a Leader While Teaching Leadership—The Findings of the StudyIn Conclusion 3. The Basis and Content of Ruth's Personal Practical Knowledge IntroductionThe Need for a Dialectical PerspectiveThe Five Content Areas of Ruth's Practical Knowledge Knowledge of Self—Mentor, Colleague, Christian, and ArtistKnowledge of Subject Matter—"You can only teach what you have a passion for."Knowledge of Instruction—"The Art of Teaching" and "People Follow Passion."Knowledge of Curriculum Implementation—"Enlarging the Circle of Professionally Developed Colleagues."Knowledge of the Milieu—Images of the "Cactus Club" and "Dance Partners." Summary 4. The Contexts of Ruth's Practical Knowledge as Fine Arts Supervisor IntroductionThe Six Knowledge Contexts Found in Ruth's Practical Knowledge Theoretical Knowledge Context—An Articulation of Voice and VisionSituational Knowledge Context—Building Community Through a Colleagual ModelSocial Knowledge Context—The Act of Raising ConsciousnessPolitical Knowledge Context—The Powers of Motivation, Persuasion, and ParticipationPersonal Knowledge Context—The Courage of One's ConvictionsExperiential Knowledge Context—The Rhythms of Life Summary 5. Ruth in Educational Change IntroductionA Discussion of the FindingsRuth's Practice as Interpreted through Research on Curriculum ImplementationRuth's Practical KnowledgeRuth's Consultative StyleThe Research Questions Revisited 6. Reconstruction and Reflection A Reconstruction of LeadershipReflections on the Research Appendix: A Field Research Orientation Overview to Field ResearchTheoretical UnderpinningsCase Study ResearchGaining EntryThe Researchers as Participant-ObserverQualitative Data Collection and Ongoing Analysis EndnotesReferencesIndex