Despite a profusion of recent "Journal of Curriculum and Supervision" articles discussing clinical supervision and reflective practice, no article has grounded these subjects in the observable events--classroom action and conference interaction--common to the clinical supervision approach. This paper presents a case study showing a…

Discusses how the tension and anxiety generated in the supervisory process undermines the potential of teacher supervision as a mutually beneficial and enriching experience. Reviews current supervisory approaches that attempt to redress this imbalance and outlines some problems with these approaches. Explores a collaborative model that tries to…

Using transcriptions of audio- and videotaped conferences from local schools and individual settings, this article examines the claim that face-threatening acts committed during supervisor-teacher interactions, particularly the postobservation instructional conference, determine the politeness levels of both supervisor and teacher. The case study…

Francis Duffy's case study of a district manager in the insurance business suggests comparative inquiry in supervision as a reasonable alternative to uncritical acceptance of constructs originating in noneducational contexts. Managers and supervisors in all organizational settings face the paradoxical task of encouraging both differentiation and…

Reviewed is the literature on the supervisory conference over the 20 years since the advent of clinical supervision. First, the purpose and components of the conference are examined, followed by reflections on the underlying assumptions of the relationship between supervisor and teacher. Literature on the use of observation data in the conference…

Summarizes a study exploring how teachers characterize their administrators' supervisory behaviors and administrator-teacher relationships, including how administrators show respect for teachers. Four distinct supervisor patterns (backstage, collaborative, surly, and imperial) emerged. Data indicate a correlation between principals' respect for…

Offers impressions about curriculum writing from eight years' experience coordinating and participating in local curriculum development efforts. Focuses on subjective aspects of curriculum writing: conversation, confrontation and experimentation, consolidation and compromise, and communication. (TE)

Surveyed 114 teachers regarding their supervisory needs, wants, and expectations. Writing exercises revealed teachers' perceptions of best and worst experiences and of administrator behaviors. Respondents viewed "best" supervision as validation, empowerment, visible presence, coaching, and professionalism vehicle and "worst"…

Suggests that informed conversation between teachers and principals, combining conceptual and practical knowledge, can revitalize schools choking on "busyness" and routine. Describes the ideal structure of such dialogues, along with outcomes from a case study of such an approach at William Tennant High School in Pennsylvania. (TE)

Estimated collaborative supervision's effects on five teacher affective variables (commitment to teaching, commitment to school, trust in administration, trust in teachers, and desire for collaboration) and two personal-decision variables (efficacy expectations and outcome expectations). Teacher implementations favored collaboration and commitment…

This study examines whether three school-level factors identified in Fullan's theory of educational change would affect implementation levels in a curriculum change process. Effects of task-relevant interactions among teachers and between teachers and administrators were analyzed, along with teachers' sense of efficiency. (TE)

Reports on a study using a teacher education method centering about situations lived by teachers that engage participants in "reflection-on-practice" exercises. Although the two supervisors discussed similar items during postobservation conferences, one was adept in using his remarks as springboards for probing teachers' thoughts about…

A growing body of research and literature describes a move to collaborative supervision of teaching. Is this process-based model reflected in supervisory practices adopted by supervisors when they work with marginal teachers--those whose teaching verges on the unacceptable? This study explored teachers' support for administrative practices…

This article analyzes the conceptual similarities and differences of clinical supervision, counseling, and consultation models in training of educational leaders. It also provides a conceptual model whose goal is to make supervisors aware of the implications of introducing consultation and counseling into the supervisory relationship. (TE)

Study of the status of teachers participating in curriculum development committees revealed that their lack of status impedes professional development. Colleagues' inattentiveness, plus an already heavy teaching load, unsurprisingly caused teachers to respond with a "why bother?" attitude. Clarification of principals' attitudes toward…