A growing body of research has emphasised the importance of school leadership for quality improvement in schools, which reinforces the importance of school leaders' continuous professional development in working life. However, less is known about the professional development of experienced principals. Against this background, the purpose of this…

This doctoral research study explores how international school administrators' perceptions of professional relationships influence turnover in international schools, and presents findings on administrators' awareness, challenges, and best practices as they relate to turnover. Chapter one introduces the problem of turnover in K-12 schools and…

This paper looks at the stories shared by Latina school leaders regarding their ascendance to the superintendency in New Mexico. The social, political, and cultural supports and challenges that they experienced along the way to their top positions in school leadership are discussed including the impact of gender barriers, power differentials, the…

Instructional leadership teams (ILTs) advance school improvement by building the capacity of school-based leaders to lead improvement work. The role of central office administrators, and particularly of principal supervisors, supporting the learning and development of ILTs, however, is relatively unknown. This mixed methods study explored the…

Variables that positively impact student learning are abundant. The effectiveness of school leadership is one variable that supports positive student learning. Given this, support for elevating the effectiveness of school leadership is important as school principal's influence these outcomes through instructional leadership. This qualitative study…

The Minnesota Principals Academy (MPA) is an executive development program that provides ongoing professional development to Minnesota's school leaders by connecting theory to practice. The program is housed in the University of Minnesota's Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development in the College of Education and Human…

The Minnesota Principals Academy (MPA) is an executive development program designed to enhance the performance of school leaders in order to improve educational outcomes for students. The Center for Applied Research and Education Improvement (CAREI) serves as the program evaluator with the intention of providing information on the extent to which…

The purpose of this study was collect and analyze the perceptions of special education directors who attended a state funded Leadership Academy for new Special Education Directors in Massachusetts. The participants were member of the Accept Collaborative Leadership Academy (ACLA) cohorts 9 (2012) & 10 (2013). The two research questions for…

The purpose of this study was to ascertain participants' perceptions of elements of the induction process that met novice school counselors' personal and professional needs. Interviews of seven novice counselors and their principals over one school year were the primary data sources. Employing an abductive analysis process based on a developed…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of Latina/o leadership in community colleges through in-depth interviews of current community college executive administrators. The portraits of the subjects offer a blueprint to Latina/os who have similar career aspirations; and more succinctly, provide insight…

What is transformative professional development for educators? Ideally, teachers and school leaders are given multiple opportunities to revisit schemas about themselves and their learning communities, with the intent to transform practice, the school environment, and even themselves. In practice, three cohorts of teachers and school leaders…

Existing problems identified in the literature on teacher retention and resilience include (a) a gap in understanding factors influencing urban teacher retention; (b) lack of clarity on multiple factors swaying teachers' decisions to remain despite challenges; (c) overlapping definitions of teacher retention, attrition, and resilience; and (d)…

After 2 years of progress, the literacy initiative at Donaldson Elementary faces challenges because of a disagreement between Principal Joanna Jackson and Literacy Coordinator Loretta Sullivan over whether Sullivan's role should include evaluative classroom observations and whether teachers should be mandated to receive coaching. The case is…

A study assessed how literacy professionals acquire knowledge as well as what knowledge they possess and value. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of K-12 teachers, reading specialists, administrators, library-media specialists, and teacher educators in the United States. Results were based on 1,519 responses and are discussed in terms…

A total of 14 women in high administrative or executive positions was studied to investigate the mentoring activity of primary women role models in business and academe. Two primary questions asked were: (1) In what ways have you mentored other women? (2) How can mentoring assist in the personal and professional development of women? Through the…