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This study was derived from the Project Accelerated Preparation of Leaders for Underserved Schools (A-PLUS): Building Instructional Capacity to Impact Diverse Learners (PR#U423A170053; Irby et al., 2017) under the U.S. Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Program, which focused on the leadership development of school leaders working in high-needs schools across the state of Texas. The entire grant has supported school leaders by: (a) recruiting and preparing leaders, (b) providing professional development (PD) activities to current school leaders, and (c) increasing the number of highly effective school leaders in schools with high concentrations of English learners (ELs) and economically challenged students (ECs). Another focus of this grant project was to promote diversity in the educator workforce by recruiting male and female school leaders, particularly targeting underrepresented participants from among those who identify as African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Asian.
Educator PD is any type of continuing education that aims to increase the educator’s skills, which in turn, is likely to improve student outcomes (Park et al., 2019; Youngs & King, 2002). According to researchers, PD can provide opportunities for personal development, strong community relationships, a collective purpose, and flexibility among participants (Archer & Max, 2018; Darling-Hammond & Rothman, 2015; Gray & Bishop, 2009; Robbins, 2015). PD has received a plethora of attention from both practitioners and researchers (Durr et al., 2020; Kampen, 2019; Kao & Tsai, 2009; Mizell, 2010) and within different formats, such as online communities (Dede et al, 2009; Kling & Courtright, 2003; Lin et al. 2008; Mazat, 2013; Schlager & Fusco, 2003). Expanding the concept of PD, Talakoub (2020) suggested that digital professional learning provides almost unlimited opportunities for educational professionals to establish, engage and grow their own professional networks while increasing their pedagogical and content knowledge.
Although many PD programs exist, according to Stewart and Matthews (2015), only a few researchers have studied the effectiveness of PD for K-12 school leaders or principals. According to Allen and Weaver (2014), there are even fewer researchers who have evaluated evidence-based PD for building principals’ leadership capacity. Further, a cursory search of synchronous and asynchronous PD for principals and teachers yielded only 27 entries, with only one article specifically discussing an asynchronous PD model (Keith, 2016). More specifically, few researchers have discussed building leadership capacity via virtual professional development (VPD) (Irby et al., 2017; Tong et al., 2015) within an asynchronous format for educators.