The position of the career and technical education (CTE) administrator is generally well-known but the multitude of tasks (e.g., management/leadership) are not widely understood by those outside CTE. The purpose of this study was to operationalize and establish a set of knowledge and skill core competencies (KSCC) nested in specific focus areas…

This quantitative study investigates the issue of teacher shortages, operationalized through emergency permit rates, within the broader context and specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, while assessing the influence of leadership characteristics. Utilizing a decade of publicly available secondary data (2012-2022), the research sourced…

The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed-method study was to discover the factors that lead to a school board hiring a non-traditional superintendent qualified through a Commission Qualification Letter over a superintendent qualified through a traditional Letter of Eligibility in Pennsylvania. The researcher used surveys and interviews to…

Teachers discover that their love of children draws them to teaching, or that their own love of learning makes them passionate about teaching. Both my love for children and my own love of learning are two key factors that originally persuaded me to become an educator and researcher. Being raised in a district composed of rural and suburban…

School districts across the United States are facing a teacher shortage that has the potential to become a national crisis. While teacher attrition rates prior to the COVID-19 pandemic were high, the pandemic and its aftermath have exacerbated the problem. The number of teachers leaving the profession continues to increase at an alarming rate.…

Finding dedicated administrators who affect change in a positive K-12 school culture is a necessity for growth in our current society (Spicer, 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between a school principal's grit and the culture of their building within K-12 public schools. Given the challenges that school principals…

Principals face many workplace stressors. Given these pressures, it is imperative that principals identify and strengthen their emotional intelligence, resilience, and resonant leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine principals' self-perceptions of the relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience and how their…

This study explored the ways in which the race-gendered identities and lived experiences of Black male K-12 public and independent school leaders inform their leadership in support of students, community, and village. The study draws from critical theories and perspectives, including a framework of Black Masculine Caring (BMC), critical race…

With the quantitative and G-theory methodologies, this study investigated the perceptions of assistant principals in the states of Pennsylvania and Texas about their evolving roles and responsibilities. The research results suggest there was consistency in terms of the importance of the 56 school activities to the success of schools in teaching…

Since 2004, the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) has offered the Executive Development Program (EDP), a leadership program for sitting school principals that is typically delivered in two-day workshops once per month over 12 months. From its inception through 2018, 15,000 principals across 23 states have participated in the EDP.…

Although states and school districts have begun to evaluate school principals, there is little evidence on the validity of principal evaluation measures. To fill this gap, we examined Pennsylvania's Framework for Leadership (FFL), a tool for measuring and evaluating principals' professional practices. Using data on more than 300 principals, we…

Strong and stable school leadership is critical for success in schools across the nation. The duties of the principal are many and varied. Principals, for example, can oversee instruction, purchase curricular materials and supplies, and provide professional learning and supports for teachers. Carrying out these duties effectively makes a…

Evidence has found a lack of transformational leadership qualities among building level administrators across central Pennsylvania. The purpose of this project study was to identify the leadership styles of principals in central Pennsylvania and ascertain the link between background variables and leadership qualities held by building-level…

The major focus of this paper is a gender-based analysis of school superintendent decision-making and problem-solving as well as an investigation of contemporary leadership dilemmas. The findings are based on responses from 258 superintendents of K-12 school districts in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania collected over a…

The state of Pennsylvania comprises 500 school districts. Each district is required to have a superintendent of schools. Now, more than ever, the work portfolio of U.S. school superintendents is increasingly diverse. In an occupation enjoying very little security, having fewer benefits than similar jobs in the private sector, and facing increased…