Although there is substantial research that has guided middle school reform, there is insufficient support of Latinx students during their normative secondary transition (middle school to high school). Current research emphasizes that students who are not prepared when entering high school will face grim academic futures. The study explores the…

Schools, and especially principals, are challenged constantly to improve learning outcomes for students. We advance five ideas that should help principals address these challenges: (a) student learning "plus," (b) school accomplishments, (c) organizational context and depth of repertoire, (d) social and political context, and (e)…

This article outlines the efforts of the California State University, East Bay Department of Educational Leadership to develop, nurture and implement leadership department partnerships with local school districts. This case study reports on how one such partnership developed and the lessons learned from it. Included is a set of partnership…

Increasingly, K-12 administrators must address the need for greater funding for their systems and schools. This article presents methods used in higher education that may be of use to its K-12 colleagues. It further suggests professional development to support school leaders in making use of these strategies.

This study reports on lessons learned from pre-service principals as they completed the Instructional Leadership Work Sample project and became instructional leaders. Data were collected from 150 participants over a four-semester time period. Teacher partners for the study were recruited from a variety of subject areas and from three…

This essay reviews the powerful influence of professional identity in shaping how school leaders perceive their work. I review factors that mold teacher professional identity, implications for educational leadership pedagogy, and supports and barriers for teacher leaders to consider in their quest to more fully enact bold, socially responsible…

Large numbers of projected retirements have created the need for recruiting and preparing capable school leaders for the future. This study explored the characteristics of candidates in an administration preparation program, factors for their career decisions, and the implications of these factors for recruiting candidates and building stronger…

To enter a future that waits to be born, educational leaders must continually assess their own ethical stance as well as that of the organizations they serve. Three frames form a model for examining the ethics of both individual and organization, with internal monologue and engaged conversation as the means for reflection and action.

With the advent of recent standards for educational leadership and the increasing complexity of a principal's job, there is a dire need for assistant principals to participate in clearly defined and consistent professional development growth activities. This study examines professional development needs of assistant principals, including their…

An annual-case process that examines principal leadership over the course of a year can provide extensive opportunities for practitioners and professors to collect, examine, and disseminate knowledge in, of, and about practice. Such cases can support professional development and pre-service preparation and become bases for research across multiple…

Historically, educational administration programs have prepared graduates in a "universal, one-size-fits-all" approach. As the K-12 student population becomes increasingly diverse, this approach is no longer viable since it seldom takes into account the urgency implied by the achievement gap. This article reports on a…

To engage in the goal of equity requires a certain amount of rage in one's belly. Understanding the context in which we are presently situated regarding our successes and challenges to achieve equity and social justice can serve to inform our future actions as educational leaders.

This article offers a conceptual model for a school of education that depicts the collegiate ideology, academic culture, mission statement, managerial climate, and organizational structure. It is designed to help administrators and faculty envision their school/college more holistically when dealing with issues and changes rather than forcing…

Increasingly, the viability of university programs to develop in school leaders the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to bring about reform are being questioned. This article uses case study methodology for looking at how an increasing emphasis on collaborative inquiry in one university's program influenced a school principal several years…