Behind every thriving school or district are deeply interconnected teams that consistently engage in a reciprocal transfer of learning. "Leading with Intention" aims to make this process visible by helping leaders and teachers understand how their thinking impacts their decision-making and the overall well-being of their learning…

This multi-case study examines the nature of supervisory practices embedded in the principal evaluation system that supervisors exercise with principals on a weekly basis. Data were collected during the 2018-2019 academic school year in the public schools of the United Arab Emirates. This study relied on several data collection methods, including…

Professional development (PD) for school leaders is focused primarily on documenting professional learning and identifying growth areas. However, the impact of reflections related to PD on sustaining school leaders' instructional capacity remains rather unaddressed. We examined how practicing school leaders develop their instructional leadership…

In response to policy and accountability mandates requiring California community colleges (CCCs) to address disparities in student outcomes, CCCs must adapt to evolving frameworks, funding structures, and parameters (e.g., definitions, equity populations, and metrics). Recent guidance has focused on race-conscious and equity-minded approaches.…

I designed this study to explore elementary assistant principals' perspectives of their roles as instructional leaders while fulfilling other administrative duties typically associated with the assistant principal position. I aimed to build on existing research on the role of contemporary elementary assistant principals as instructional leaders.…

This qualitative study followed the work of 12 principals and their supervisors to understand the concept of joint work as consequential for principals' learning and practice development. Research questions centered on the principal supervisor and principal's key work tasks and the situational contexts in which they occurred. Findings revealed…

This qualitative case study explored K-8 principals' perception of the contribution of job-embedded professional learning on skills and efficacy in instructional leadership, guided by Experiential Learning and Self-Efficacy Theory. The study addressed two research questions: the first explored how principals perceived the contribution of…

To optimize teacher support, administrators need subject-specific knowledge, skills, and beliefs to lead, not just manage, instructional change. Professional development (PD) is needed with the many roles administrators are already called to fill. In this study, 38 elementary administrators participated in PD in mathematics instructional…

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the strategies employed by districts and school leaders in recruiting, developing, and supporting instructional leaders to enhance student achievement across schools. By conducting research and interviewing experts, this study aspires to serve as a conceptual blueprint that districts and leaders can…

Many professions have long runways to leadership, with mentorship and increasing levels of responsibility. In contrast, the path to school leadership has historically not been well-defined. But that is changing. The role of assistant principals has become a major stepping stone to the principalship. Once thought of primarily as disciplinarians,…

There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

This research aimed to examine school principals' perceptions and practices during the COVID-19 period through the perspective of school leaders' agency and proactive coping role when facing adversity and crisis. For this purpose, we interviewed 60 principals of elementary, middle, and high schools. Interview analysis yielded five categories of…

Many Senior Leadership Teams (SLTs) are engaging in professional development to nurture explicitly anti-racist practice. Teachers' knowledge gaps about racism, its traumatic, lasting impact and how racism is generated through schooling persist within a cloak of silence. This small-scale study explores interview data from senior leaders in English…

The study of course leadership in higher education focusses on an understudied area of research, with a limited number of publications discussing the role of the course leader in higher education, and a distinct lack of research on how course leaders in higher education undertake their professional practice. This lack of a pre-existing theory…

Middle leaders in schools are increasingly recognised as playing pivotal roles in school improvement. Although some school systems provide formal professional development for middle leaders, many middle leaders express a preference for job-embedded learning. Yet, international research has documented difficulties in providing intensive support…