Education Commons^™

New Principal Perceptions Of Assistant Principal Leadership Experiences That Prepare Assistant Principals For The Principalship, Ralph E. Chew

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Due to several factors, including salary and increased demands, there is a shortage of qualified leaders to assume the principal role. Although there is a shortage, there is also a bench of credentialed leaders in assistant principals. The problem is identifying how school districts and principals build the capacity of and prepare their assistant principals for the principal role. This study explored how novice principals perceived how their experiences as assistant principals prepared them for the principalship and the perceived role of current principals in preparing their assistant principals for the principalship. An explanatory mixed methods approach was utilized. Novice …

Fostering The Multicultural Efficacy Of Principal Candidates, Karen D. Jones

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This mixed methods study was completed with principal preparation candidates. Data was collected using the Multicultural Efficacy Scale (MES) and focus group interviews. Principal candidates’ multicultural efficacy was measured before and after participating in monthly diversity seminars and reflections. The diversity seminars provided first-person storytelling from diverse members of school communities including individuals from different LGBTQ, race, religion, socio-economic status, and language backgrounds. The study found principal candidates had improved multicultural efficacy at the end of the year-long diversity series. Research shows this could lead to supportive behaviors as social justice-oriented school leaders.

Preparing Aspiring Leaders To Address Special Education Needs In An Embedded Principal Residency Program: A Content Analysis, Dusty L. Palmer, Linnie Greenless, Fernando Valle, Cathy Palmer

School Leadership Review

This content analysis aims to investigate the effectiveness of a job-embedded principal residency program in addressing special education needs within schools. By analyzing various sources such as action plans, participant reflections, and student outcomes, this research seeks to provide insights into the impact of the program on improving special education practices, fostering inclusive environments, and enhancing overall student achievement. The findings of this study have the potential to inform principal preparation programs, school administrators, and educators about the benefits and challenges of implementing best practices to support support students with special education students.

School Leaders’ Supports Of Dual Language Science Teachers, Monica E. Manning, Casey Graham Brown

School Leadership Review

English learners account for 21.7% of the Texas public school system (Texas Education Agency, 2022). This qualitative study was conducted to examine how teachers of English learners in a dual language program perceived the educational supports they received affected student achievement in science. Teacher participants were asked about their experiences with administrative supports and how those supports affected their teaching and student performance. Two administrators were also interviewed for the study.

The teacher participants identified administrative supports they perceived to be beneficial to student learning and to the functioning of the EL program and science classroom. The administrative supports identified …

Exploration Of The Relationships Between Principal Preparation Program Admission Requirements And Program Performance, Summer Pannell

School Leadership Review

Admission criteria for principal preparation programs vary from state to state and even amongst universities within the same state. Despite the recommendation nearly two decades ago to connect admission criteria to leadership standards, little research has been done to help develop such criteria. This study examined principal preparation program admissions requirements at one southern university to determine if a relationship existed between admission criteria, academic program performance, and performance on educational leadership licensure assessments. The Pearson product-moment correlation found a statistically significant correlation between, both, the GRE and GRE Writing assessments and the School Leadership Licensure Assessment for educational administrator …

University-Based Principal Preparation Programs In Texas In 2019: Where Is Special Education?, Ann Hoa Lê, Julie Peterson Combs

School Leadership Review

Most principal training programs in the United States focus very little on preparing aspiring instructional leaders to lead programs for students with disabilities. An examination of principal preparation programs and their SPED components is necessary at a time when standards have been revised and new certification exams have been constructed in Texas. To explore the presence of SPED topics in principal certification courses, we used a classical content analysis with a group of university-based principal preparation programs. Almost half of the universities in our study required 18 semester hours or fewer for principal certification, and none of these had course …

The Partnership Imperative For Preparing Effective Principals In North Carolina Schools, Martinette Horner, Derrick D. Jordan

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The extant literature highlights the impact principals have on daily operations, visioning, school climate, academic programming, instructional monitoring, and numerous other areas. The need for well-trained principals at the helm of schools, particularly those with large concentrations of at-risk students, has been identified as a critically important factor in improving academic outcomes. Underdeveloped leaders often struggle to improve schools and are unable to show adequate progress among the students they serve. They are also more prone to early burnout, increasing turnover rates. As such, the need to strengthen principal preparation programs has become even more evident in recent years. A …

The Supervision-Evaluation Debate Meets The Theory-To-Practice Conundrum: Contemplations Of A Practitioner Turned Professor, Marla W. Mcghee

Journal of Educational Supervision

This article explores the tension between instructional supervision and teacher evaluation inherent in the professional literature and in practice. Moreover, it suggests engaging in formal appraisal processes less often to allow instructional leaders and classroom teachers more time for formative support for growth and improvement. Finally, this piece offers a range of formative development options and advocates teachers as educational professionals at a time when teacher quality and retention to the profession are paramount.

How Aspiring Principals Applied Course-Based Learning To Develop School Improvement Plans, Dana L. Bickmore, Maria M. Roberts, Miguel M. Gonzales

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: School improvement planning and implementation is one organizational process by which principals may positively impact school and student outcomes. Limited research, however, has explored how principal preparation programs prepare aspiring leaders for this common school leadership activity. This study examined aspiring principals engaged in the school improvement process by evaluating what they included in their school improvement plans (SIPs) that were developed as part of their field experience. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examined SIPs aspiring principals collaboratively developed as part of their field experience. Using an abductive analysis method, combining both deductive and inductive coding …

Using Equity Audits To Create A Support System For Marginalized Students, Dusty L. Palmer, Irma L. Almager, Fernando Valle, Cathy Gabro, Vanessa Deleon

School Leadership Review

This qualitative content analysis study examined the framing of equity audits and the Texas Accountability Intervention System (TAIS) plans implemented by aspiring principal fellows to develop a support system for marginalized students. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how a principal preparation program leverages equity-driven data to support the learning and engagement of all students, with an emphasis on supporting English Language Learners (ELL)s and Special Education (SPED) students. The findings revealed that using equity-driven data and progress monitoring quarterly goals did impact student learning, specifically with the ELL and SPED population

Designing Our Principal Pipeline From A Job-Embedded Residency, Dusty L. Palmer, Irma L. Almager, Fernando Valle

School Leadership Review

This qualitative case study explores the impact of job-embedded principal preparation residency programs through the lens of a school district’s administrator.  The school-university partnership provided an innovative way to prepare aspiring school leaders.  The job-embedded structure provided an authentic, contextual base experience where aspiring principals served as interns over a 15-month period in their current school district.  The praxis of the study positions principal interns to impact teacher growth and improve student achievement during their job-embedded placement.  Overall, the school district invested in its own teachers and are now leading their campuses in a principalship  role.

Increasing Principal Candidates’ Self-Efficacy Through Virtual Coaching, Travis E. Lewis, Karen D. Jones

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Skill development in instructional coaching and feedback is difficult to adequately simulate within a principal preparation program. As a result, many new administrators enter the field with little to no experience in instructional coaching and, therefore, feel tremendous uncertainty and low self-confidence. This study explored the effect a virtual coaching experience has on self-efficacy for principal preparation program students. Preservice teacher candidates were matched with principal candidates to provide virtual instructional coaching to the benefit of all involved. The findings of this study indicate that practice through virtual coaching is positively related to increased self-efficacy in principal candidates.

Letter From The Editor, Jim Palermo

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

As I review our readership dashboard I am pleased that JOEL has a regional, national and international presence in the marketplace of ideas about leadership and this issue is no exception. This, our Spring 2019 edition offers three articles about school leadership and principal preparation for your consideration from authors in Jamaica, Fordham in New York, and North Carolina neighbors from East Carolina University.

The Leadership Challenge: Preparing And Developing Catholic School Principals, Michael J. Boyle, Alicia Haller, Erika Hunt

Michael Boyle

The increasing emphasis on the myriad of leadership preparation standards have caused university principal preparation programs to necessarily focus on the more secular aspect of leading schools. For the Catholic school principal, this has left little focus on the development of critical strategies to lead for Catholic Identity and faith formation. This article suggests using the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools as a framework for Catholic principal preparation programs to address this issues. Additional suggests for program development are also offered.

Keywords

Catholic schools, principal preparation

Les difficultés posées par le leadership : préparation et développement personnel …

University Strategic Planning: A Process For Change In A Principal Preparation Program, Federico R. Guerra, Roberto Zamora, Rosalinda Hernandez, Velma D. Menchaca

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study describes a strategic planning process used for developing an educational leadership program that prepares principals for leading 21st century schools. The plan is based on recommendations received from the External reviewers representing Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Texas Education Agency, survey responses received from former students currently serving in school leadership positions, and focus group forums. Recommendations received were used to develop a strategic plan that resulted in a more rigorous and accessible, field-based program to better prepare school leaders.

Principals’ Perceptions Of Their Knowledge In Special Education, Maria Banda Roberts, Federico Guerra

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the Every Student Succeeds Act continuing to legislate accountability for special education and Hispanic students, the appropriate content in principal preparation programs relevant to successful leadership of special education programs is vital. This mixed methods study analyzed the survey responses of 84 principals in South Texas from predominantly Hispanic schools to determine the principals’ perceptions regarding their legal, foundational, and contextual knowledge of special education and their suggested topics for inclusion in curriculum content of principal preparation programs to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement and supervise special education programs. Results indicated that the principals’ greatest …

The Middle Grades Principal: A Research Agenda, Dana L. Bickmore

Middle Grades Review

Advocates for middle grades education suggest that principals are critical to the implementation of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and organizational structures that meet young adolescent needs. Yet, there is little evidence associating principal practices outlined by middle grades proponents to outcomes or how principals learn the knowledge and practices middle grades advocates propose. This essay explores the limited research connecting middle grades principal leadership with school and student outcomes, how middle school principals learn the practices outlined by proponents of middle grades education, and proposes a research agenda and questions about middle grades principal learning.

Preparing Administrators To Lead 21st Century Learning, Jennifer S. Jones, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leading 21^st century learning in schools looks radically different than it did 25 years ago. The rapidly changing demographics of culturally, ethnically, linguistically, racially and economically diverse students brings a complicated mix of challenges for administrators who must respond to the varied interests and needs of the school community. It is essential for school districts and principal preparation programs to collaborate in the development of the 21^st century school leaders through authentic, relevant internship opportunities. By collaborating with higher education, school districts can do their part in the development of school administrators with the instructional expertise and the …

Supporting Leadership Preparation In Indonesia, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

Kathryn Moyle reports on an evaluation of a professional learning program for aspiring school principals in Indonesia.

Supporting Leadership Preparation In Indonesia, Kathryn Moyle

International Developments

Kathryn Moyle reports on an evaluation of a professional learning program for aspiring school principals in Indonesia.

The Leadership Challenge: Preparing And Developing Catholic School Principals, Michael J. Boyle, Alicia Haller, Erika Hunt

Journal of Catholic Education

The increasing emphasis on the myriad of leadership preparation standards have caused university principal preparation programs to necessarily focus on the more secular aspect of leading schools. For the Catholic school principal, this has left little focus on the development of critical strategies to lead for Catholic Identity and faith formation. This article suggests using the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools as a framework for Catholic principal preparation programs to address this issues. Additional suggests for program development are also offered.

Keywords

Catholic schools, principal preparation

Les difficultés posées par le leadership : préparation et développement personnel …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Traditional And Alternative Principal Preparation Programs, Summer Pannell Ph.D., Bernnell M. Peltier-Glaze Ed.D., Ingrid Haynes Ph.D., Delilah Davis Ph.D., Carrie Skelton Ph.D.

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study sought to determine the effectiveness on increasing student achievement of principals trained in a traditional principal preparation program and those trained in an alternate route principal preparation program within the same Mississippi university. Sixty-six Mississippi principals and assistant principals participated in the study. Of the 66 participants, 41 competed a traditional principal preparation program, and 25 completed an alternate route principal preparation program at the same university. The data included the type of principal preparation the participant received, the number of consecutive years served as a principal or assistant principal, and student achievement data for their assigned schools. …

The Impact Of High Stakes Testing On School Leadership, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dr. Oliveras-Ortiz describes principals' view of changing classroom environments because of the state of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests. Further, she shares instructional leadership viewpoints of campus principals and proponents and opponents of high-stakes testing. This mixed method study surveyed and interviewed principals from four large school districts in Texas to understand their perceptions of changes in their leadership practices working under accountability practices.

Considering An Overhaul To The New Principal Preparation Program, Vance Vaughn, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vance Vaughn and Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz provide suggestions for university faculty and administration preparing principals in their article, Considering an Overhaul to the New Principal Preparation Program. They recommended the importance of understanding accountability and reconstitution in the new age of accountability. In their case study research they examined three school districts over a five year span. From this research, they determined that universities need to include training on walkthroughs and appraisal systems, the correct use of data, and an understanding of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

An Evaluation Study Of A Principal Preparation Program At A Southeastern University, Heather A. Benfield

Education Dissertations and Projects

The historical principal-teacher role has expanded and evolved to the modern-day comprehensive, executive leader. Institutions of higher education ideally respond by matriculating leaders who meet the demands ofschools and the complex role of the administrator. The purpose of this study was three fold: to explore the degree of alignment with programmatic processes in a redesigned Master of School Administration (MSA) to the current North Carolina Standards for School Executives (NCSSE), to evaluate the degree of implementation fidelity of programmatic processes, and to explore the extent to which differences surface in cohort member experiences of programmatic components.

The study addressed whether …

An Analysis Of Principal Preparation Programs At Pennsylvania State Schools, Karlin Burks

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In this era of data-driven accountability for school success and high student achievement, successful school leadership has been hailed as one of the most import tools in creating effective schools. Principal preparation programs have an ever-demanding job of producing high-quality principals capable of effective school leadership, as the failure or success of a school can be directly attributed to the training and preparation of the school principal. It is the desire of the researcher that the findings of this study will add to the research on school leadership and perhaps encourage university principal preparation programs to examine their practices and …

Entry Planning : A Key Aspect In Preparing For School Leadership In Western Australia, Eleanor Maree Hughes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Through my work in various contexts, as a senior leader, a curriculum improvement officer, a deputy principal, a project manager for professional learning and now as principal, I recognised from experience and dabbling in research that there were gaps in professional learning offered to aspirant and beginning secondary school principals in the public system. Undertaking research in this field would either confirm or refute my theory that support for secondary principals through professional learning in the Western Australian Department of Education was limited. The premise that quality leadership enhances quality teaching was a driver in establishing my goal, which is …

Supervising Principals' Perceptions Of Preparing New Principal Program Completers: Meeting The 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards, Wesley Trimble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine to what extend completers of School District A’s Preparing New Principals Program (PNPP) are prepared to meet the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards (FPLS). Major questions addressed (a) the perception of principals regarding how well prepared completers of School District A’s principal preparation program were to meet the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards, (b) if the perceived importance of the 2011 Florida Leadership Standards varied by leadership level, (c) if the perceived importance of the 2011 Florida Leadership Standards varied by a school’s free/reduced lunch percentage, and (d) the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards perceived …

Mentoring School Leaders: Perspectives And Practices Of Mentors And Their Protégés, Dana Sue Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has the potential to be a powerful tool to help prepare future school leaders in the context of leading a school. The purpose of this study was to identify perspectives and practices employed in mentoring relationships within a principal preparation program. Through interviews, observations, and the analysis of artifacts, this study identified how these mentors supported their protégés in the development of theoretical understanding, technical skills, and reflective practice.

This study took a multiple case study approach to analyze data about leadership mentoring obtained within three-cases of a mentor and the mentoring relationship with his or her protégé. Each …

Principals' Experiences Regarding Culturally Responsive Leadership Preparation And Practices That Promote Academic Achievement Of African American Students, Monica Brown

All Dissertations

Culturally responsive education improves the educational success of ethnically diverse students (Gay, 2002). The research presented states the case of the need of culturally responsive leadership preparation programs that influence the practice of culturally responsive principals. Emerging evidence has found that preparation programs impact the efficacy of future school leaders (Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, Meyerson, Orr, & Cohen, 2007; Jackson & Kelly, 2002). A large body of literature points to persistent achievement gaps for children of color and especially for African American males and demands that school leadership preparation attend to issues of cultural competence (Dantley, 2005; Evans, 2007; Lopez, Magdeleno, & …