The Study
The Tennessee Transformational Leadership Alliance (TTLA) is a novel principal pipeline partnership initiative designed to help local school districts expand their pool of great school leaders. As a statewide incubator of school leadership, the TTLA program helped new or existing  programs build principal residency, bridge support, and induction programs in collaboration with other districts, educational organizations, or institutions of leader-preparation. The purpose of this mixed-method, year-long study was to understand how programs identified, selected, and supported principal fellows and implemented program activities. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA).

Role Responsibilities
Principal Investigator | Summer 2018-Summer 2020

Study Management

  • Responsible for all aspects of study-initiation, including creating interview protocols, recruitment materials, and data management protocol, obtaining IRB approval, and recruiting participants. 
  • Worked in collaboration with stakeholders from the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, the Tennessee Department of Education, and Vanderbilt University.
  • Onboarded new research team member mid-way through study.

Data Collection

  • Collected qualitative interview data via phone, interviewing principal fellow and program site leaders.
  • Led data collection management for audio files, artifacts, post-interview memos, and interview transcription.​
  • Compiled quantitative data using state administrative datasets housed at TERA.

Data Analysis and Dissemination

  • Analyzed quantitative data, examining patterns in the characteristics of principal fellows.
  • Along with co-research team member, read all research notes and memos and created an iteratively developed matrix of themes from the data. 
  • Presented research findings to Tennessee Board of Education and TTLA program leaders.
  • Writing policy briefs of research findings.

Research Products

Working Papers

Grissom, J., Joshi, E., & Weiss, A. Transforming the Leadership Pipeline: Implementation of a Statewide Principal Residency Program. 

Presentations

Grissom, J., Joshi, E. & Weiss, A. (November 2019). Transforming the Leadership Pipeline: Implementation of a Statewide Principal Residency. Paper presented at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) annual meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Joshi, E., Weiss, A., O'Hara, J. & Grissom, J. (June 2019). Research Findings Presentation - Tennessee Transformational Leadership Alliance Program Study. Tennessee Department of Education.

Joshi, E. & Weiss, A. (January 2019). Research Findings Presentation - Tennessee Transformational Leadership Alliance Program Study. Tennessee Transformational Leadership Alliance Winter Convening.