This dissertation advocates for improved succession planning in educational leadership, particularly in the public sector, where it often receives insufficient attention. It proposes a robust leadership pipeline program within school districts to enhance the capacity of aspiring assistant principals by providing hands-on experiences, mentorship…

This in-depth study looks at how leadership helped and what problems there were when non-profit private schools in Eastern South Florida tried to use the Leader In Me (LIM) program. It looks into how school leaders help teachers and staff adopt LIM, deal with resistance, and make sure the program works. Five principals or assistant principals said…

The purpose of this dissertation-in-practice was to explore the dimensions of support for assistant principals in one southeast Texas mid-sized suburban public school district in conjunction with improving the overall efficacy of campus leaders while also bolstering the organizational leadership pipeline. Sixteen current or former assistant…

This study examined perceptions of educational leadership skills within principal internship experiences, focusing on the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) building level standards related to instructional leadership. Using a quantitative survey design, the study collected data from 53 participants (29 principals and 24 interns)…

This paper describes a participatory action research project that was delivered on Saturday mornings to vice-principals (VPs) in two Anglophone school districts in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, in 2022 and 2023. The project was set up as an invitational five-part seminar series that was grounded in educational theory and leadership…

Despite ongoing efforts to recruit and support successful school leaders, relatively little is understood about the professional experiences and skillsets that principals possess upon entry into their positions. We trace the professional experiences and instructional effectiveness of all educators in Oregon over 14 years. We highlight that many…

Among numerous responsibilities, conducting effective classroom observations is crucial for school leaders. This research explores the perspectives of 23 aspiring and practicing school leaders about their experiences of learning classroom observation skills with LeadWise simulation, an interactive e-learning tool. Qualitative analyses of text data…

Given the substantial challenges of the principalship and the high turnover of school principals, school districts have sought out assistant principals as a major source of leadership talent to take up the role of principal. In this qualitative dissertation, I explored how principals and assistant principals from a southeast urban school district…

School leaders, specifically principals, play a pivotal role in shaping student learning outcomes. The benefits of strong leaders extend beyond academic achievement, such as reductions in absenteeism and exclusionary discipline. While quality principals are critical for creating and sustaining quality schools, the staffing pipeline is facing…

Increased accountability measures over the past two decades caused schools to seek new ways to increase student achievement. As principals play a crucial role in implementing reforms to improve instructional practices and student achievement, understanding the competencies that make principals successful is essential. Research indicated that…

When it comes to equity and access through culturally proficient practices, what schools intend to do versus what they actually do can be incongruous by defaulting to traditional accountability metrics over change and innovation. Utilizing the Conceptual Framework for Culturally Proficient Practices, the purpose of this study was to investigate…

School leadership has progressed from a principal-led position to a dual-leader position with assistant principals. Assistant principals have stepped into instructional leadership roles and have been identified as overseeing special education (Best, 2016; Gaston, 2005; Walton, 2008). Despite studies determining that assistant principals are…