Rate My Professor Mary Derrington

Mary Lynne Derrington is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she serves as the program coordinator for the K-12 Leadership Doctor of Education (EdD). She earned her doctorate in policy, governance, and administration from the University of Washington. Before transitioning to higher education, Derrington spent 18 years as a school superintendent and held roles as a principal, teacher, and curriculum director across preK-12 levels, including experience with the International School system in the Netherlands. A former principal and superintendent, she was a grant recipient of the Fulbright International Administrators Program. Her extensive K-12 administrative background informs her teaching and research, providing practical insights into leadership and policy implementation.

Derrington's research interests center on teacher and principal evaluation, supervision, and instructional leadership. She teaches courses in leadership, ethics, and personnel administration. Her scholarship has significantly influenced the field, with over 1,957 citations on Google Scholar. She has authored three books: Differentiated Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning: Policies and Practices for Promoting Career Growth (2019, co-authored with Jim Brandon), Developing the Organizational Culture of the Central Office: Collaboration, Connectivity, and Coherence (2020, co-authored with Philip D. Lanoue), and Actionable Feedback to PK-12 Teachers (2023). Notable peer-reviewed articles include "Teacher Leadership and Collective Efficacy: Connections and Links" (2013, cited 221 times), "Female Superintendents: Breaking Barriers and Challenging Life Styles" (2009, cited 181 times), "Implementing New Teacher Evaluation Systems: Principals’ Concerns and Supervisor Support" (2015, cited 170 times), and "Qualitative Longitudinal Methods: Researching Implementation and Change" (2018). Recent works encompass "School Leadership in Uncertain Times: Identifying Dimensions of Effective Principal Leadership" (2023) and "Virtual High Schools: Principal Leadership in an Underexplored Context" (2023). Derrington received the 2023 Distinguished Research Award from the AERA Supervision and Instructional Leadership Special Interest Group. She has delivered numerous refereed presentations nationally and internationally and served as an invited speaker on topics in leadership and teacher evaluation.