Chronicling Perspectives about the State of Instructional Supervision by Eight Prominent Scholars of Supervision

The purpose of this article is to chronicle the views of eight prominent professors of supervision regarding the state of instructional supervision. A confluence of factors has influenced the evolution of supervision as a practice and incipient field. Issues involving its very definition, its scope and methods, its status as a field, and its future have been varied, and at times have been controversial. Surveying several developments in the field of supervision, this qualitative study, based on oral testimonies of eight prominent figures including four senior scholars and four more recent scholars, raises questions for supervisory practices and the future of supervision as a field. In this article, I first provide a brief historical context for the theory and practice of supervision, along with a theoretical background serving as a literature review that reflects supervision as instructional leadership. Second, I share three themes that emerged from my interviews and analyses. Third, I discuss these themes and draw three conclusions that reflect on the state of supervision as a field.