Research Agenda

My research agenda lies at the intersection of three scholarly fields: supervision, teacher education, and Professional Development Schools (PDSs) as clinically-rich school-university partnerships. To date, my work has focused on the function of supervision in the PDS context and the hybrid educator role in this context. My research, teaching, and service are therefore all connected to working in and with schools. Some of my activities also relate to technology because I have an affinity for considering how technology can be used to engage in meaningful teaching and learning experiences, but all such activities are connected to teacher education and the PDS context.

As reflected in my mid-tenure research development plan, my research and scholarly activities are collaborative in nature. Because I subscribe to the notion of collegiality and partnerships, I invite scholars, practitioners, and students to engage in scholarship with me, and I believe that I have an ethical responsibility to include them in some of the dissemination efforts when such inclusion is merited. I also believe that part of our responsibility is to engage in conversations with both scholars and practitioners, and for that reason, I believe that my publications need to speak to audiences of researchers and practitioners. As first/lead author, I take on primary responsibility for the project and the manuscript. As second author, I make clear my more limited (but still substantial) responsibilities.

Summary of Research Accomplishments for Mid-Tenure

Publications:

As of mid-tenure application submission in February 2015, I have a total of four publications, five manuscripts accepted, and four under review. Out of these thirteen manuscripts, I am the lead on nine of them, second on two of them, and last author on two of them. Eight of the thirteen publications/manuscripts are in journals. Of those journals, one has been published in a refereed journal, one has been published in a non-refereed journal, two are accepted in refereed journals, and four are currently under review. I am the lead on five of these eight journal manuscripts, second author on one manuscript, and last author on one manuscript.

In addition to journals, five of the thirteen total publications/manuscripts are book chapters. Of those chapters, two have been published and three are accepted. I am the lead on three of those manuscripts, second author on one manuscript, and last author on another manuscript. In the beginning, I did not truly understand the duration of the publication process. I since have worked diligently to submit manuscripts in a more timely fashion and dedicate a portion of each week to writing.

Grants:

I have contributed to five grants related to research. One of those is a multi million dollar grant with HCPS and it was funded. I serve as key personnel on this grant. One grant for $55,000 is under review with the National Academy of Education Spencer Foundation and I am the principal investigator. Three grants were unfunded.

Conference Presentations:

I presented fifteen times all at national conferences. From those conference presentations, I have one publication, one accepted publication, four under review, three in preparation, and two that resulted in no intention to publish. This shows that I use the conference venue as a pipeline for publication

National Collaboration:

This year I was selected to serve as a Clinical Fellow for the Association of Teacher Educators. This group of fifty scholars and their practice-based partners were selected because of their interest in clinical practice and the recent calls to move clinical practice to the center of teacher preparation (NCATE, 2010). I, along with my doctoral student and Partnership Resource Teacher, Wendy Baker will be a part of this national conversation.

Last year, I was approached by Helen Hazi, a scholar of instructional supervision and teacher evaluation from the University of West Virginia, to collaborate in the creation of a technology in instructional supervision symposium to be presented at the American Education Research Association annual meeting. Together, we constructed a call for proposals, collected and selected proposals, and facilitated the symposium. I also served as a discussant for the papers. One of the recent participants shared with me that she submitted her paper to a journal and the journal gave similar feedback that I provided as the discussant, indicating the accuracy of my analysis and critique. Because of my research in supervision in teacher education and my affinity for technology in teaching and learning, this invited collaboration exists as an example of how I am becoming known among scholars across the country.

Finally, I had the privilege of presenting some of my dissertation work at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision where Carl Glickman, a renowned scholar of instructional supervision, was the keynote. Glickman’s work has been influential in my thinking about supervision in teacher education. In fact, my dissertation, and consequently my research agenda, are based upon his conceptual framework of instructional supervision. Following the presentation, Carl approached me and shared praise. In fact, he sent me a follow up email and has since requested a copy of the manuscript (which is currently under review) so that a graduate student of his can use it as a conceptual framework for her dissertation. He also referred a consulting opportunity to me from Kennesaw State, citing me as “the next up and coming scholar of instructional supervision”. While the consulting opportunity did not come to fruition, I was and continue to be truly honored and humbled by his support.

Chapters/Segments of Books Published:

Burns, R. W. & Badiali, B. (2013). Preparing teacher educators in the professional development school context. In J. Perry & D. L. Carlson (Eds.), In their own words: A journey to the stewardship of the practice in education. Information Age Publishing.

Arbaugh, F., Nolan, J., Parks, K. & Burns, R. W. (2012). The practices and knowledge of school-based teacher education practitioners. In M. Macintyre Latta & S. Wunder (Eds.). Placing practitioner knowledge at the center of teacher education: Rethinking the policy and practice of the education doctorate. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Chapters/Segments of Books Accepted for Publication (attach a copy of the letter of acceptance from publisher):

Dennis, D., Burns, R. W., Tricarico, K., vanIngen, S., Jacobs, J., & Davis, J. & (In Press). Problematizing clinical education: What is our future? Chapter proposal accepted for R. Flessner & D. R. Lecklider (Eds.), The power of clinical preparation in teacher education. Rowman & Littlefield Education in association with the Association of Teacher Education.

Burns, R. W. (In Press). “White teacher educator”: The value of working in schools to develop my pedagogy of teacher education. In A. Kemp (Ed.), Dignity of the calling: Educators share the beginnings of their journeys.

Burns, R. W. & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (Accepted). Supervision in the context of professional development schools and partnerships. In S. Zepeda & J. Glanz (Eds), Re-examining Supervision: Theory and Practice.

a. Refereed Articles Published:

Burns, R. W., Yendol-Hoppey, D., & Jacobs, J. (2015). High quality teaching requires collaboration: How partnerships can create a true continuum of professional learning for educators. The Educational Forum. A Publication of Kappa Delta Pi, 79(1), 53-67.

b. Refereed Articles Accepted for Publication (attach copy of the letter of acceptance from publisher):

Jacobs, J., Burns, R. W., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (In Press). Supervision in an accountability climate: Understanding educators’ experiences with professional learning under differing high stakes sanctions. Professional Development in Education.

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (Accepted). When supervision is conflated with evaluation: Teacher candidates’ perceptions of novice supervision. Action in Teacher Education.

c. Refereed Articles Submitted for Review (attach a copy of your letter of transmittal to publisher):

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (Under Review). Unearthing the complexities of clinical pedagogy in supervision. Action in Teacher Education.

Burns, R. W., Jacobs, J., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (Under Review). In search of a framework for clinically-rich preservice teacher supervision: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature from 2001 to 2013. Action in Teacher Education.

Jacobs, J., Hogarty, K., & Burns, R. W. (Under Review). The state of preservice teacher field supervision: A national survey. Action in Teacher Education.

Burns, R. W. & Badiali, B. (Under Review). Framing conceptual, procedural, and emotional support for supervisors. Teacher Education and Practice.

a. Non-Refereed Articles Published:

Burns, R.W., Yendol-Hoppey, D., Badiali, B., & Nolan, J. (2013, April). Let’s learn together. The Kappan, 94(7), p. 26.

Conference Presentations

As a scholar, dissemination is a part of my professional obligation. In addition to publishing, the conference venue allows me to interact with my colleagues from across the country to wrestle with theoretical notions, practical applications, and current political reform narratives related to the scholarly fields in which I situate myself. It also permits me to present works in progress and receive feedback on papers prior to publication. Generally I attend four major conferences per year, all of which are directly applicable to the scholarly fields in which I situate myself. Those venues include the annual meetings of the American Education Research Association (AERA), the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS), the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), and the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision (COPIS). These four venues each serve different purposes related to my research agenda.

I also have included a presentation to publication pipeline to illustrate how conferences assist me in the publication process. Some presentations have been grouped accordingly because they are presented in multiple venues. My conference presentations have resulted in one publication, one accepted publication, four under review, three in preparation, and two with no intention to publish.

American Education Research Association

AERA provides valuable opportunities to present my research to other colleagues who can offer valuable constructive feedback and engage in conversations about similar projects. I look to this conference to identify national trends and to present high quality research. I aim to become an increasingly vocal part of such conversations and agendas throughout my career. For now, I situate myself in Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education, and two special interest groups (SIGs), Professional Development Schools Research and Supervision and Instructional Leadership, related to my research agenda. I also serve in leadership roles for both special interest groups. I am the Chair of the Professional Development School Research SIG and I am the Member-at-Large for the Supervision and Instructional Leadership SIG. This year I have been working with both SIGs to create a collaborative business meeting to identify commonalities and how both SIGs can work together to think more deeply about supervision in professional development school contexts.

National Association for Professional Development Schools

NAPDS reaches more of a practitioner audience of university and school-based faculty who work in school-university partnership settings on a daily basis. My role at this conference is to support practitioners in presenting their inquiries and to present my own research to illustrate current research and scholarship related to partnership work. As previously stated, I have supported almost fifty individuals presenting at this conference over the past two and a half years. My work in school-university partnerships has been recognized as I was elected among a competitive slate of candidates to the NAPDS Executive Board of Directors in 2013.

Association of Teacher Educators

ATE is a relatively new conference for me. I only started attending in 2013, yet I probably should have been a part of this national organization for some time as I consider myself a scholar and practitioner of teacher education. This conference permits a variety of presentations on both research and practice. This year I applied for and was selected as one of fifty clinical fellows. Clinical Fellows are national and international scholars who have an interest in clinical practice.

Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision

COPIS is a very specialized conference, attended by only university faculty who identify themselves as scholars in the field of supervision. Membership by nomination only; nominated individuals must be voted into the organization. In 2013 I became a member of COPIS.

2014

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (2014, October). Conceptualizing supervisors’ pedagogical skills. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in Atlanta, GA.

Burns, R. W., Jacobs, J., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2014, October). What do we continue to learn about preservice teacher supervision since the release of the NCATE PDS Standards and Blue Ribbon Report?: Part two of a qualitative meta-analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in Atlanta, GA.

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (2014, April). Conceptual, procedural, and emotional mentoring: The reframing of supervisor learning to practice to learning from practice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in Philadelphia, PA.

Jacobs, J., Burns, R. W., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2014, April). What do we know about preservice teacher supervision since the release of the NCATE PDS Standards and the NCATE Blue Ribbon Report? A Meta-Analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in Philadelphia, PA.

Jacobs, J., Burns, R. W., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2014, February). Understanding the role and function of the PST supervisor: A review of the empirical literature. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators in St. Louis, MO.

Yendol-Hoppey, D., Jacobs, J., Davis, D., Burns, R. W., van Ingen, S., Dennis, D., & Tricarico, K. (2014, March). Preparing the next generation of teacher educators to lead innovative teacher education: Clinically rich, equity-focused, and inquiry based. A four paper symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Indianapolis, IN.

2013

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (2013, October). Identifying pedagogical skills of supervisors: Unearthing the intricacies and complexities of learning to supervise. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in State College, PA.

Burns, R. W., Dennis, D., Davis, J., van Ingen, S., Gelfuso, A., Powell, R., Baker, W., Mercer, S., & Wulf, T. (2013, October). Content-focused coaching: Conceptualizing structures, roles, and supervisory practices for supporting pre-service teacher education in the content areas. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in State College, PA.

Jacobs, J., Burns, R. W., Yendol-Hoppey, D., Arndt, K., Casciola, V., Powell, R., Rakes, L., Ward, J., & Pennington, S. (2013, October). What do we know about pre-service teacher supervision since the release of the NCATE PDS Standards and Blue Ribbon Report? A review of the literature. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in State College, PA.

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (2013, April). The impact of novice supervision on teacher candidates in a PDS context. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in San Francisco, CA.

Burns, R. W. (2013, April). Conceptualizing the pedagogical skills of supervisors. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in San Francisco, CA.

Burns, R. W., & Hazi, H. (2013, April). Perspectives on technology-driven supervision: Creating the conversation in a climate of accountability. Panel presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in San Francisco, CA.

Powell, R. L., Ward, J., Persbacker, S., Kondash, A., Norton, L., Burns, R. W. (2013, February). “These kids”: Supporting preservice teachers’ understanding of a culturally diverse student population through an inquiry-oriented assignment. Presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Professional Development Schools in New Orleans, LA.

2012

Burns, R. W., & Badiali, B. (2012, October). Conceptualizing supervision in a PDS context. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in Asheville, NC.

Jacobs, J., Burns, R. W., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2012, October). Supervision in a climate of accountability: Understanding educators’ experiences with professional learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision in Asheville, NC.

For a complete list of my publications and presentations, please click on the Curriculum Vitae tab.

Contact Me

For further discussion about my research and scholarship, feel free to contact me.