In this chapter, we review and critique the literature on school leadership preparation and evidence use. The chapter is organized into three sections. In "What is Evidence and What is evidence Use?" we explore distinctions in the ways that scholars and practitioners have come to conceptualize evidence use and consider the implications…

There is a pervasive and ongoing perception that leadership preparation is a problem. Important questions remain about the intentions, capacity, and impact of state departments of education engaged in leadership preparation program redesign. In this essay, I take up several issues concerning this state policy work, including whether a one size…

In 2007, educational leadership programs in Florida were notified by Florida's Department of Education of a law requiring all programs to align with new legislation, State Rule 6A-5.081. Previously, most state-approved preparation programs were based on Florida's Leadership Preparation Standards, a version of the 1996 Interstate School Leadership…

How to best address the professional learning needs of those aspiring to leadership roles in schools is a crucial issue. Robust evaluation practices are needed to determine the quality of current provisions and to identify where improvements can be made. This paper considers the quality of professional learning programmes using a set of 10…

In 2004-05, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) began a groundbreaking partnership with the Eli Broad Foundation to develop the Academy for Leadership in Philadelphia Schools (ALPS), one of several Broad-funded, alternative principal development programs initiated across the country. The ALPS effort was designed to respond to two challenges:…

Many states are mandating reforms in university-sponsored principal preparation programs, but faculty and school system personnel often have concerns about the prescriptive nature of state mandates related to these reforms. Auburn University served as one of four pilot principal preparation program redesigns in Alabama, a process that took over…

The preparation of culturally and linguistically responsive special educators requires planning, substantive collaboration, and valuing the perspectives of underrepresented groups. This article describes restructuring efforts of one special education preparation program that included coursework and field-based experiences designed to enhance…

This chapter considers the design of incentive pay systems for teachers and principals and the challenges facing policy makers who seek to design them. The author argues that policy makers must direct the efforts of teachers and principals toward schools' mission--the acquisition of skills and knowledge among children--and must find ways to link…

Given the urgency for increased student achievement, it would seem that redesigning principal preparation programs around leadership practices that have an impact on students' learning would be a high priority in every university. Yet, it is not. Despite some movement in some areas, the overall pace of change has been too slow, the changes are not…

In U.S. K-12 public education, incentive pay for educators remains firmly fixed as a high-interest policy topic and has recently become a popular reform initiative in many school systems. The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), created in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education, is at the forefront of this policy movement and has provided hundreds of…

Educational Leadership students need to spend significant time in authentic school contexts working alongside well-prepared mentor principals to be adequately prepared for complex leadership roles. Through carefully-designed internships, students link school leadership theory from academic coursework with actual improvisational practice. This type…

A study was undertaken in 1981-83 to document the nature and extent of international studies and global awareness programs in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The study involved a national survey of 1,300 principals in which the administrators were asked to identify the most pressing needs and obstacles to program…

The Teacher Peer Support Program (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) described in this report was monitored for 2 years, from its inception in the 1990-1991 school year. The main objective of the research was to ascertain the degree of success of a formal induction program. Sources of information included questionnaire data from two cohorts of novice and…

The Meadows Principal Improvement Program has two functional components and a research component. The functional components are designed to help improve the role of school principals in Texas. There is a preservice component to prepare new principals in instructional leadership and an inservice component to assist practicing principals in…

This paper explores, from the perspective of a local practitioner, phases and effects of implementing a national education demonstration project at the local level. The pivotal role of the locality, its history and its economic realities, is emphasized. Drawing from her experience in planning and implementing a demonstration effort in a…