Conference Agenda

Topic: School leaders' participation with a virtual mentor/coach within a virtual professional leadership learning community

Research Question: To what extent does participation in virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC) influence school leaders’ professional growth during their engagement in virtual professional learning communities (VPLCs)?

Conceptual Framework:

We used a conceptual framework that combined virtual professional development (VPD), virtual professional leadership learning communities (VPLCs), and virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC) to support the professional growth of school leaders.
This model, based on the VPD framework proposed by Irby, Lara-Alecio, and Tong (2017), describes leadership learning as a socially influenced process, integrated into practice, and supported by technology, all occurring within collaborative virtual environments
This framework aligns with European and global goals, emphasizing ongoing professional development, digital transformation, and the growth of leadership skills to improve schools (European Commission, 2020; OECD, 2020). School leaders are responsible for managing complex school reforms, and they face pressures for accountability, fairness, and persistent underperformance. These phenomena occur in high-need schools in the United States and Europe (OECD, 2016; UNESCO, 2016).

The model is based on communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), professional learning communities (Stoll et al., 2006), and coaching partnerships (Robertson, 2008). Learning, at its core, thrives on conversation. When school leaders face real-world challenges, they collaborate within VPLCs, posing questions, reflecting on their actions, and devising strategies. VMC actively supports these communities with tailored, pertinent assistance to foster ongoing learning and sustained engagement.

The framework underscores modeling, scaffolding, and coaching as fundamental pedagogical approaches within VPLCs aligned with constructivist principles (Irby et al., 2017; Parkes et al., 2013). Virtual mentor coaches facilitate leaders' comprehension by prompting reflection on acquired knowledge, supporting its practical application, and ensuring leadership practices align with the school's objectives for achievement. VMCs serve not as evaluators but as learning collaborators, a role that is increasingly vital in international leadership development paradigms (Harris & Jones, 2018).

The framework also addresses the long-standing concern that formal training programs alone don't provide leaders with the skills needed to handle the complexities of school turnaround and improvement (Gray et al., 2007). Anast-May et al. (2011) suggested that both aspiring and current leaders benefit from opportunities to implement changes, build trust, and use data-driven strategies in real-world situations. In turnaround schools, quick, focused, and lasting changes are needed, which go beyond the usual models of gradual growth (Rhim et al., 2007); however, Alexander et al. (2025) suggested in their turnaround school 12-step model that quick change is not always the case in turning
around schools, and that time for mentoring and coaching and gaining campus buy-in may be as important as quick wins.

Recently, researchers have underscored the imperative of grounding leadership development in the principles of equity, inclusion, and social justice. Scholars contend that leadership education must directly confront access, opportunity, and the disparate impacts of reform on historically marginalized students and communities (Brooks et al., 2017; Green, 2017; Meyers, 2020). These matters are essential to European and international policy frameworks and are incorporated into the collaborative and reflective design of VPLCs.
Although the research on virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC) is still developing, researchers have suggested it can significantly improve leaders' knowledge, practices, and beliefs when included in ongoing PD programs (Shrestha et al., 2009; Van Dyke, 2019). Internationally, virtual coaching is increasingly employed to expand access to high-quality professional development while reducing costs and geographical access (Ermeling et al., 2015; Ohlson, 2012).

The conceptual framework positions VPLCs, underpinned by VMC, as a scalable and globally pertinent model for leadership development. This aligns with international objectives concerning digitally mediated and collaborative professional learning for educational leaders.

Mentoring has become a central strategy in school leadership development internationally, particularly for supporting novice and aspiring principals as they navigate increasingly complex instructional, organizational, and political demands. Across Europe, North America, and other international contexts, mentoring is embedded in leadership preparation and induction initiatives as a means of accelerating leadership learning and reducing early-career attrition (Bush, 2009; Darling-Hammond et al., 2010; Hobson et al., 2009). Research suggests that mentoring provides situated and personalized learning opportunities that formal coursework alone cannot offer, especially during leadership transitions (Crow, 2012; Earley & Bubb, 2014). Mentoring has taken on various forms and models (Kart et al., 2018), particularly technology-enabled mentoring and/or coaching, which is free from time and space constraints and low cost while delivering a high-quality coaching experience (e.g., Ermeling et al., 2015; Kidd & Murray, 2013; Marsh & Mitchell, 2014). Examples include video coaching to influence teachers' pedagogical behavior (Linden et al., 2022), VR-implemented classroom observation (Militello et al., 2021), and virtual mentoring coaching to support school leaders' professional leadership development (Author et al., 2022, 2023).

Mentoring research has often emphasized program structures, participation rates, or perceived outcomes, while paying less attention to the interactional processes through which mentoring supports leadership learning and effectiveness (Hobson & Sharp, 2013; Young et al., 2017). There remains limited qualitative understanding of how mentoring conversations unfold, how mentors and mentees negotiate professional meaning, and how mentoring adapts to leaders’ developmental stages and contextual challenges (Ehrich et al., 2004; Fletcher & Mullen, 2012).

This study examines mentoring as a core developmental practice within successful school leadership, drawing on qualitative evidence from a School Enhancement initiative situated within a research–practice partnership led by two southern universities in the US. Mentoring is conceptualized not as a technical intervention but as a relational, adaptive, and contextually embedded process that supports leaders’ capacity to enact improvement over time (Day & Gurr, 2014; Drysdale et al., 2016). Mentoring enables reflective practice, professional judgment, and problem-solving within authentic school contexts (Clutterbuck et al., 2017).

The conceptual framework integrates three complementary strands of scholarship. First, leadership development theory emphasizes experiential learning, reflection, and professional identity formation as central mechanisms of leadership growth (Day et al., 2009; Ibarra et al., 2010). Mentoring supports these processes through individualized feedback, guided reflection, and cognitive apprenticeship as leaders confront real-time dilemmas (Bush & Glover, 2014; Mullen & Klimaitis, 2021). Second, a relational perspective positions mentoring as socially mediated learning grounded in trust, dialogue, and mutual engagement, with evidence suggesting that relationship quality is more critical than formal program design alone (Ehrich et al., 2004; Hobson et al., 2009; Devos et al., 2016). Third, an ecological perspective recognizes mentoring as embedded within systems shaped by accountability pressures, policy mandates, demographic change, and local organizational cultures (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Walker & Dimmock, 2002; Hallinger, 2018).

Effective mentoring commonly addresses instructional leadership, organizational management, interpersonal relationships, equity and community engagement, and context-specific problem-solving (Crow & Whiteman, 2016; Mullen, 2016). Evidence suggests mentoring needs evolve over time as leaders move from entry and survival phases toward strategic and sustainable leadership (Weindling & Dimmock, 2006; Day & Gurr, 2014).

Guided by this framework, the study addresses the following research questions:

1. What interactional processes characterize effective mentor–mentee relationships within a school enhancement-research practice partnership?

2. What themes emerge in mentoring conversations across different stages of leadership development during ongoing coaching cycles?

3. How do university-based coaches and school leadership teams evaluate and perceive the impact of monthly virtual leadership coaching?

Responding to ECER 2026’s theme, this study positions mentoring as a knowledge-mobilizing practice through which educational knowledge is interpreted, negotiated, and enacted rather than linearly transferred.

Walkthroughs have become an increasingly prominent practice in school improvement efforts, with an abundance of walkthrough models available (e.g., Downey et al., 2004; Stout et al., 2013; Ginsberg & Murphy, 2002). Most existing walkthroughs focus on classroom observations conducted by school administrators to assess teaching and provide feedback to teachers. Very limited research evidence focuses on observing school leaders, particularly regarding the effectiveness of principals’ use of time (e.g., Bezzina et al., 2018; Grissom et al., 2013; Horng et al., 2010). A search of studies on school leadership team walkthroughs in tier-one journals in educational leadership yields almost no studies. This study focuses on and conceptualizes walkthroughs as a structured, non-instrument observation of principals, assistant principals, and instructional leadership personnel (i.e., the school leadership team), rather than classroom instruction.

This study reports findings from multiple rounds of school leadership walkthroughs as a core component of a School Enhancement project. The school leadership walkthroughs in this study are designed as brief, informal, and non-disruptive observations intended to capture real-time evidence of leadership practice, campus culture, and instructional support as they naturally unfold during the school day. Rather than functioning as evaluative or compliance-oriented visits, walkthroughs are purposefully structured to document leadership work in situ, preserving the authenticity of daily interactions and organizational routines.

The observation will focus on campus leadership practices, including the actions and interactions of principals, assistant principals, and instructional skills specialists. A central goal of the walkthrough process is to generate low-inference, descriptive evidence that reflects what is seen and heard at the moment of observation. Walkthroughs are conducted on both treatment and control campuses, allowing for systematic documentation of leadership practice across varied contexts and over time.

Emphasizing low-inference documentation positions leadership walkthroughs as a learning-oriented data collection practice rather than a judgment-based assessment. The walkthrough process supports coaching and reflective dialogue, enabling leaders to interpret evidence, mobilize knowledge, and develop new, contextually grounded leadership practices.

The second and third authors of this paper developed the Leadership Walkthrough Rubric (2023), based on research on effective principal behaviors (Horng et al., 2010), the Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness Inventory (Author et al., 2000; 2002; 2013), Synergistic Leadership Theory (Author et al., 2002), and research on how principals spend their time (Author et al., 1999, 2002, 2013). This instrument is the first of its kind used to observe school leaders in real time—what they do, on what tasks, and how they do them. Unlike leadership surveys, the rubric provides detailed evidence of leadership practice that can help district leaders identify areas for improvement, support leadership reflection based on observational data, and inform researchers’ design of immediate professional development interventions.

The questions we seek to answer from observation analysis of walkthroughs are:

• What leadership behaviors and practices are most salient during school leadership walkthroughs across leadership roles (principal, assistant principal, and instructional specialists)?

• What are the perceived strengths and weaknesses of school leadership as reflected in rubric data?

• What tasks are school leaders engaged in during a typical school day?

The conceptual framework for this study integrates three complementary perspectives. First, leadership learning theory (Allen et al., 2022) highlights experiential learning, reflection, and professional judgment as central to leadership development. Second, a relational and coaching-oriented perspective (Lochmiller, 2018) positions walkthroughs as dialogic processes grounded in trust, feedback, and mutual engagement, particularly when walkthroughs are followed by timely coaching conversations and reflective feedback sessions. Third, an ecological systems perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) recognizes walkthroughs as embedded within school communities as well as broader policy, accountability, and community contexts that shape what leaders attend to, prioritize, and enact.

Objective
This paper examines the design and impact of Diversity and Equity in Our School, a professional learning programme co-designed by academics and school leaders as part of a three-year Erasmus+ partnership. Using the Irish case as a focal point within a European collaboration, the study explores how structured engagement with challenging concepts, reflective dialogue and practitioner inquiry supported school leaders to move beyond compliance-based understandings of inclusion toward critical, equity-focused leadership.

Irish schools are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of culture, language, identity, and socioeconomic background. While policy frameworks emphasise inclusion and equality, many school leaders report feeling underprepared to navigate issues such as implicit bias, intersectionality, culturally responsive practice, and equitable expectations for learners. This project sought to address this gap by designing professional learning that did not provide prescriptive strategies but instead created psychologically safe spaces for sustained, honest engagement with complex issues.

Conceptual / Theoretical Framework
The programme design and analysis are informed by three key theoretical lenses.

First, threshold concepts (Meyer & Land, 2003) shaped the structure of the professional learning. Concepts such as intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) and the Pygmalion effect were positioned as transformative ideas that, once understood, altered how leaders interpreted everyday school practices and learner experiences.

Second, the work draws on theories of dialogic professional learning and practitioner inquiry, where learning is understood as socially constructed through reflection, dialogue and shared vulnerability. The programme prioritised relational trust, positionality and collective sense-making as preconditions for meaningful engagement with equity issues.

Third, the analysis is informed by critical perspectives on leadership for equity, viewing leadership not as managerial implementation of policy, but as an ethical, reflective, and relational practice concerned with justice and inclusion.

The European dimension is central to the study. The Erasmus+ partnership enabled cross-national collaboration on the design principles underpinning the programme, allowing shared exploration of how diversity and equity are understood and enacted in different educational systems. The Irish case is presented as an example of how these shared principles were enacted locally, with relevance for broader European contexts experiencing similar demographic and social change.

The study therefore positions professional learning not as the transfer of knowledge, but as a process of conceptual disruption, relational engagement, and identity work among school leaders. By examining how leaders grappled with challenging concepts within a supportive dialogic space, the paper illuminates how professional learning can contribute to sustained shifts in thinking, language and practice around diversity and equity.