The role of principal as instructional leader is one that is not only vital to student outcomes but requires support from district level leaders to develop. This study investigated how practicing administrators understand the meaning of being an instructional leader focused on learning and how district leaders can support principals to develop…

To best train and support school leaders in their evolving roles, they require high-quality preparation and in-service pipelines that both address the changing demands on their positions and acknowledge the cascading effects that well-prepared leaders have on both student outcomes and in school culture and retention. Including school leaders in…

Principals who are strong, effective, responsive leaders help to inspire and enhance the abilities of their teachers and other school staff to do excellent work. Such principals also tend to retain great teachers and create opportunities for them to take on new leadership roles. This leads to the following key question: What can state policymakers…

Teachers have the greatest school-based effect on the achievement of any child in their classrooms, but highly effective principals can positively affect the achievement of every student in their schools. The difference between a highly effective principal and an average one is equal to two-to-seven months of extra learning per year for each child…

This report is the executive summary of a research study that identifies the actions that great principals take to ensure and amplify great teaching. The findings are based on an in-depth analysis of the leadership practices in more than 200 district (134) and charter (77) schools that saw substantial gains in student achievement in seven urban…

We as a field believe that school principals can acquire new expertise by participating in principal preparation and professional development programs; however, we have few methodologies to measure leadership expertise, especially expertise that links leadership to improved student learning. In this article, we present the results of a study that…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

In Florida, 19 competencies that distinguish behaviors of highly and moderately performing principals now serve as a basis for selecting, certifying, and appraising school managers. This article discusses certain assumptions, describes a six-stage competency acquisition process, and outlines Florida's principal competencies. Includes six…

This text presents a model that systemically relates professional development and evaluation in an appraisal of educational leadership personnel. Developmentally, appraisal is seen as a diagnostic, relatively non-judgmental system by which educational administrators gather data about their professional performance and growth. Evaluatively,…

Now that educational reform has targeted principal performance as a key to school excellence, methods and procedures for evaluating these administrators have become an increasing concern. Current studies suggest that evaluation practices used in many districts are ill-suited to improving principals' performance and professional competence. Many…

As part of the 1987-88 Westchester Principals' Center program evaluation, active principals were asked what motivates their participation in professional development activities. This article summarizes their answers, along with perceived participation benefits, visions of the principalship, and the influence of prior experiences on learning…

Principals perform many, varied instructional and managerial tasks. Steps in the selection process in a school division fall into four categories: developing policies; establishing a pool; formal selection procedures; and post-hiring activities. When selectors evaluate individual candidates for a position, they use one or more of five basic…

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Assessment Center Project expects to have 53 comprehensive centers in operation by June 1986. Behavior modeling is the training strategy for professional development, and research has confirmed that the process can help predict who will be a successful administrator. (MLF)

At best, competency testing should be used as just one indicator of an individual's proficiency as a school administrator. Evaluation alternatives include the use of assessment centers, on-the-job training and/or assessment, alternative forms of testing, multiple competency indicators, better recruitment strategies, and enhanced school…

The Leadership Excellence Achievement Plan (LEAP) presented here is a way for principals to improve leadership ability with an emphasis on evaluation. It first recommends formulating a precise definition of the principal's job divided into three areas: technical competencies, administrative skills, and performance goals. Among the technical…