The purpose of this study was to understand the instructional leadership role development of new principals. The overarching research question that guided this study was: How do new principals transition into an instructional leadership role? Using a basic qualitative approach, 12 new principals participated in the study. Data collection included…

This was a study conducted with four first-year educational leaders who were interviewed to determine whether they experienced feelings of isolation and disengagement from individuals who had been peers in the work-place. Each respondent was promoted from within their educational organization to a leadership position and was interviewed to…

Deficits in school leadership and student achievement have occurred when principals were not adequately prepared. Similarly, assigning educators to administrative roles in low-performing schools without first training and preparing them have seemingly created situations that first-year principals described as particularly stressful. This narrative…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to use empirical data on new principals to clarify the connection between different succession situations and the challenges their successor principals face. Design/methodology/approach: The study draws on two waves of interview data from a random sample of 16 new elementary school principals in a major urban…

This grounded theory study was conducted to explore the professional development needs of New York City high school principals with less than five years' experience based on the McREL balanced leadership framework. The purpose of this research is to answer the three research questions below in hopes of contributing to the field. The research for…

School leaders in Queensland, Australia, are working in a rapidly shifting policy landscape, expected to work towards system-defined improvement measures involving increasingly higher external accountabilities. This article analyses a group of long-term case studies of the effects of school improvement expectations on principals since the…

In a context characterised by triple sources of accountability demands, principals in Chile are required to mobilise change to raise performance indicators. School improvement is a complex endeavour--a complexity that is intensified for newly appointed principals, particularly when placed in a high-poverty, ineffective school. This article…

Research studies on financial management in South African public schools expands recurrent literature, most of which have largely pathologised school leadership and management, and rural schools in particular. This article instead draws from a qualitative case study of success, which examined how five novice principals in a rural setting went…

This paper examines emotional expression experienced by female principals in the Arab school system in Israel over their managerial careers--role-related emotions that they choose to express or repress before others. I employed narrative methodology, interviewing nine female principals from the Arab school system to investigate expression of…

Purpose: To investigate the problems of practice experienced by novice school principals as they transition into their new occupation, focusing in particular on the first 3 months on the job--a critical transition period according to the literature. Research Methods/Approach: This theory-building, mixed-methods, longitudinal study examines a…

Although the assistant principal position has been the career path for aspiring principals, some researchers have claimed the position lacks adequacy as a training position. With limited research available, the purpose of this study was to explore the induction and acclimation experiences of newly assigned assistant principals. Following a…

This study utilizes Symbolic Interactionism to explore perspectives of neophyte principals. Findings explain how these perspectives are modified through complex interactions throughout the school year, and they also suggest preparation programs can help new principals most effectively by teaching "soft" skills such as active listening…

The aim of this study is to identify key challenges of practice that principals face. In line with this purpose, the researcher has employed a qualitative research methodology, interviewing principals working in Amasya district, over and above doing document analysis to collect detailed information concerning leadership and administration…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand the novice principals' experiences in the principalship and the support they received from their district to make recommendations for principal mentorship programs. The study reported on qualitative interview methods with three novice principals and two mentors to determine essential…

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…