Administrators’ Lessons Learned: Considerations in Establishing Demonstration Classrooms

Abstract

This paper presents the perspectives of some administrators whose school sites hosted demonstration classrooms that were implemented as part of a board-wide professional development initiative. Administrators highlighted the challenges of balancing the competing needs of their school system with those of their individual school communities and identified: (a) the need for advance planning; (b) the importance of consistency and communication; and (c) the complexities of acknowledging the dual roles and responsibilities held by demonstration classroom teachers. Demonstration classroom professional development programs may hold the potential to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills. However, this study found that effective implementation of such programs requires skilled administrative collaboration and coordination.