The purpose of this study was to investigate East Tennessee State University alumni's perceptions of the effectiveness of internship experiences as students learned the PSEL and TILS standards and the role of mentor support as they prepared for principalship. The participants obtained their administrative license and worked currently with an…

School leadership is found important for school development and student learning. Consequently, the interest in professional leadership education for principals has increased. In Sweden, professional leadership education for novice principals was made mandatory in 2010. Moreover, enhanced focus on leadership for teaching and learning in terms of…

University faculty have fixated on ways to adequately prepare social justice-oriented school leaders for quite some time. This teacher action research project documents the experiences of 14 aspiring school leaders in a principal preparation course focused on a critical race pedagogy curriculum. Using interview data, this qualitative study…

Traditional principal preparation programs (PPPs) that include coursework and internship opportunities are most commonly the basis by which aspiring school leaders are prepared for future work (Dickens, et al., 2021; Grissom, Jason A., et al., 2018; Kearney & Valadez, 2015; Oliver, et al., 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic provided a challenge for…

This study focuses on the perceptions of new principals toward their learning experience in one or more of a Perfect Time Public Schools (PTPS) district-run principal preparation programs. The research design uses a qualitative approach to identify in-depth information to describe new principals' perceptions of their learning experience in…

Drawing on data collected as part of a qualitative action research study, our analysis examines the reflective thinking skill of candidates as they begin a two-year principal preparation program. As leadership educators, we noticed that our highest performing students were also the most skilled at thinking reflectively. Using candidates' writing…

Leaders in the business community often talk about the "skills gap," the gap between the skills needed for good jobs in the economy and the skills that prospective employees possess. Though there is debate as to whether or not such a gap actually exists, the idea of the "skills gap" can be a helpful way to frame instances where…

The story of the past 15 years in U.S. education has been one of fundamental reform and transformation. These changes are felt most acutely in the daily lives of teachers and principals and often have lasting effects on the context of the school community. This case study explores the challenges facing a principal when attempting reform and…

Purpose: The purpose was to highlight aspects of principals' work that are problematic and the degree to which they feel prepared to address those aspects. It profiles principals' pre-appointment learning. Research Methods: The study was conducted in Alberta with principals in the first three years of their appointments. A questionnaire was…

The answer to effective formal principal preparation reform across the nation has been to adopt and implement the "Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium" (ISLLC) standards, which in most instances begins with graduate program courses and field training within higher learning institutions. Close adherence to Standard 5, a…

As new assistant principals, our participants spoke of the importance of gaining experience. In this qualitative study, four years later, they admit that professional expertise must be a combination of challenging experiences and honest feedback from mentors. Furthermore, they present that this expertise is contingent upon identity. Transitioning…

When an effective principal is at the helm of a school, students benefit. Principals play a critical role in establishing a school's climate and culture and in selecting and developing teachers, among other roles. Indeed, school leadership is second only to direct classroom teaching among school-level influences on achievement. Although there may…

Although research has established links between the principal's instructional leadership and student achievement, there is considerable concern in the literature concerning the capacity of principal preparation programs to prepare instructional leaders. This study interviewed educational leadership faculty as well as expert principals and teacher…

This research study intended to discover the perceptions of 10 Illinois Generation Y novice high school principals pertaining to the effectiveness of their principal preparation programs in terms of how well it prepared them to lead in the first three years of their principalship, and what subsequent professional development they deemed necessary…

This qualitative study of ten elementary veteran teachers used Hargrove's single, double, and triple-loop thinking to understand their perceptions regarding knowledge new principals need to be social justice leaders working in impoverished schools. Findings in three categories revealed the importance of principals learning to identify their…