Following a professional program to ensure qualification for school leadership is a growing trend. However, school leaders have also come to understand and use content from educational programs in widely different ways. There is therefore a need to study how participating school principals experience learning differently within one and the same…

Purpose: This study examines a university-based professional learning program, the University School Systems Program (USSP), designed to strengthen district- and school-level leadership for improvement. The program has a record of success in improving student outcomes in participating schools, yet little is known about how the program design may…

This guide aims to present district instructional leaders and staff with a core set of criteria for what high-quality professional development entails. What makes this particular document different and useful is the focus on practical issues of district-level implementation in multiple teaching and learning environments. This is a guide designed…

This paper explores the complex problem of project sustainability, focusing on the leadership of three primary school mathematics leaders. Using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), the leaders' efforts are reported, highlighting their contribution to project sustainability. The CHAT-informed research design supported the generation of…

The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to explore the impact of the instructional coaching model that was conducted over three years during a job-embedded principal preparation residency program. This study revealed how instructional coaching relationships used culturally responsive leadership to improve teaching practices and…

The study reported in this article responds to the need for empirical studies that provide evidence of positive change in education at the micro-level of the classroom -- an important component of the complex education environment in South Africa. This article describes teachers' and principals' reports of micro-level changes that occurred during…

One of the key factors that contribute to effective management of schools is the professional development of principals. The role of the principal has become more complex with the dynamic and constant reforms in the educational environment. The present study focuses on the professional development of principals in New Zealand and Singapore. The…

The purpose of the evaluation was to evaluate two alternative programs in a North Carolina (NC) and South Carolina (SC) public school district to determine if they are effective in delivering constructive interventions that modify student behavior once students have left the programs and have returned to their regular learning environments. This…

The increased emphasis on the role of educational leaders in the success of schools has led many schools of education to examine their leadership preparation programs. Ms. Orr presents some promising innovations and new directions in program design and delivery. (Contains 16 endnotes.)

The conditions necessary to sustain collegial professional relationships and the problems with these relationships are explored in this article. Strategies important for successful staff development are described. (DF)

Prior to implementation of a supervisory staff development program, it is necessary to review current literature in the field of educational administration in order to define specific elements (domains) of the supervisory knowledge base. A qualitative research study involving a review of relevant literature yielded 13 primary domains or categories…

Assesses the range of variation among the predominant types of professional development programs for principals in the 1980s. Highlights divergent trends in organizational processes and program content that characterize these programs, and identifies their varying potential for reaching competing policy goals. (JB)

Each year the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada), receives applications from potential teachers with excellent profiles but who lack teaching experience. These applicants are possible candidates for the Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP), an alternative teacher education program. Those selected are placed in regular…

Based on research studies of effective staff development and rural education, the Inservice Leadership Team (ILT) was designed to identify key teachers in school buildings, team them with principals and central office staff, and train the team to design, deliver, and evaluate staff development at the school level. Rural Pennsylvania school staff,…