In these challenging times, it is essential that principals serve as equity-oriented, antiracist, culturally competent leaders accountable for students' performance, school improvement, and policy requirements. Many studies focus on professional development (PD) for teachers but not school leaders, thus the value of the present analysis is that…

This study of 77 aspiring leaders of a university-based principal preparation program uses results from a questionnaire to examine the perceived benefits of two types of support, mentoring and coaching, provided throughout the program. Interaction with both mentors and coaches received high ratings of value toward meeting students' needs as future…

Successful schools have a clearly defined vision for student success, usually measured by college and career readiness standards. They are able to articulate success indicators for student performance as well as success indicators for the staff performance needed to meet those student indicators. Successful schools are able to describe a theory of…

The title of this paper comes from a quote from Senator William Fulbright, sponsor of legislation that resulted in the American Fulbright Scholar program. The Fulbright Program is based upon a shared commitment by American leaders post World War II who believed everything possible should be done to prevent the horrific tragedy and destruction of…

This study investigates the frequency of research-based leadership strategies utilized by newly hired school principals in the workplace. Public school superintendents in Indiana were asked to respond to two open-ended research questions. Through the use of content analysis, their comments were coded for the occurrence of effective leadership…

In this article the authors contend that the element that is typically missing or underdeveloped in the education and development of most leaders is the intentional integration of the research and practices for assessing and developing the deeply held core beliefs, attitudes, and values (what we will call leadership dispositions) that play a…

The purpose of this study was to determine if principal tenure, principal stability, and principal educational experience in public education along with school-level variables predicted elementary school student achievement. A second purpose was to examine whether there was a significant difference between (a) levels of principal tenure and levels…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), through the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), developed standards for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective practice by educational leaders (CCSSO, 1996). These standards provide a viable content domain from which to assess leader cognitive and…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) changed the landscape of education nationally. The purpose of this law is to provide a high-quality education to children regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, ability, or background. Effective School Research suggests that successful student learning is linked to the following school…

One of the most popular themes (Reoccurring issues) for K-12 school leaders, central office leaders, professors of Educational Leadership, other educators, and other pertinent stakeholders in education is what are the important characteristics needed for school leaders to be effective. In 2000, Rakiz and Swason noted that leadership was in a…

In 2004, The U.S. Department of Education stated, "Great schools have great leaders" (p.1). Research supported their declaration as our nation actively pursued educational reform. School systems across the country searched for good school principals to lead, believing they were the "cornerstones of good schools" (DiPaola &…

This is the second part of a study conducted by Barton and Cox (2012) investigating administrative credential candidates' pre and post self-assessment results. Candidates who successfully complete principal preparation programs should possess the requisite knowledge and skills to assume leadership positions in P-12 schools. This study was designed…

There is a short supply, yet tacit demand, for creative and effective communication training for educational leaders. A field of literature indicates that a leader's identity is a potent communication tool. A leader's image can frame expectations for followers, symbolically evoking a family of concepts and patterns of meaning (receiving). The…

We offer the collaborative inquiry-action cycle as a framework for principals' practice and principal preparation. The cycle is a pragmatic tool that does not prescribe behaviors or contexts. Moreover, the cycle does not represent another programmatic solution or model for leadership. Rather the power of the cycle is that it drives collaboration,…

Too often the principal is left without the benefit of a plan or the awareness of how to deal with the problems that inevitably arise when opening a new school. The school facility is an instructional tool and as such, it may either enhance or detract from the educational program. The success or failure of how a new school opens or is perceived to…