Although the number of principal preparation programs (PPPs) has continued to grow, researchers have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of these licensing programs, particularly given the importance of a principal in student achievement and teacher retention. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the perceptions of graduates of the…

We reviewed the scholarship on capacities for educational leadership for the past decade of the pre-reform era (1976-1985), as well as a recent decade of the reform era (2005-2015), and compared scholarship from both decades with the current Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. We found that scholars in the past decade of the pre-reform…

School leadership is second only to teaching among school influences on student success, according to research. So what can a school district do to produce a large and steady supply of top-notch school principals--and support their effective supervision? This Wallace Update describes two related Wallace Foundation initiatives seeking answers to…

This qualitative phenomenological research study focused on eight deans of students at the high school level and three administrators who were instrumental in creating or reestablishing and supervising the position of dean of students within their high schools. The purpose of the study was to define the roles and responsibilities of the high…

A career development training program in Los Angeles, California, schools has three components: (1) preservice training for participants from the district staff, self-nominated or recruited through an affirmative action plan; (2) training for new administrators; and (3) training for experienced administrators. The programs are cooperative ventures…

This monograph reports the results of a three-part study of the assistant principalship that attempted to delineate the nature, function, and relative status of the position. The study types used were (1) normative, (2) career, and (3) shadow. Data for the first two studies were gathered from questionnaires completed by over 1,200 assistant…

This report defines six strategies that state and district leaders can employ to secure an ample supply of highly qualified school principals. The six strategies were drawn from research and direct experience in helping schools, universities, and state agencies rethink and redesign educational leadership programs. The six strategies are as…