History of Supervision in Education

  • First defined supervision role in education

    Supervisors were referred to as inspectors who "stressed strict control and close inspection of school facilities" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 8).
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    Superintendents Role

    In the late 19th century, Superintendents inspected teachers to prove their role as district leader.
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    "First professional supervisor"

    "Horace Mann, whom Tanner and Tanner (1987) characteriezed as the 'first professional supervisor'" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 9).
  • Supervision textbook published

    William Payne published first textbook on supervision as inspection.
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    Multiple Supervisors

    Special vs. general supervisors. Special supervisors, "most often female, was chosen... to help assist less experienced teachers" while general supervisors, "usually male, was selected not only to deal with more general subjects... but also to assist the principal in the more administrative, logistical operations" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 11).
  • Social efficiency

    Book published, The Principles of Scientific Management which said the "Main point of management was to promote the efficiency of the worker" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p.12).
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    Democratic Supervision

    Influences of Dewey, Hosic, and Newlon; Democratic supervision "implied that educators, including teachers, curriculum specialists, and supervisors, would cooperate to improve instruction" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 14).
  • Science and Supervision Meet

    Methodologies of supervision are being researched. Sullivan states that "according to Barr, the methods of science should be applied to the study and practice of supervision" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 15).
  • Supervision Evolves

    Robert Leeper authors articles for Educational Leadership, "Leeper and the authors of this anthology maintained that supervisors must extend "decmocracy in their relationships with teachers' (P. 69). The way to accomplish this was to promulgate supervision as a leadership function" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 16).
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    Prescription, Collaborate

    In the 1970s, clinical supervision is the education debate. "The premise of clinical supervision was that teaching could be improved by a prescribed, formal process of collaboration between teacher and supervisor" (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 17).
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    Empowered Teachers

    Throughout the 1980s, teachers gained support and power.
    One such description of empowerment was that "disenfranchising bureaucracy was the dissolution of autocratic administrative practices where overbearing supervisors ruled" would allow for teachers to be leaders and therefore improving public education (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 18)
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    Standards in Supervision and Education

    National goals for education are "signed into law by Congress during the Clinton Administration" which brings standards in public education to the forefront of political and public focus (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 20).
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    Standards and Testing Make for Difficult Times

    Data collection, high-stakes standardized testing, and "Supervisory practices that are more constrained and inspectional than ever" indicate a difficult time ahead for true supervisor teacher collaboration to improve student learning (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013, p. 22).