The stability of principals remaining year after year at the same school has been identified as impactful on school improvement (Bartanen et al., 2019; Donley et al., 2020). A review of literature recognized the opportunity to identify and describe experiences and factors that influence positive attitude of job satisfaction and job stability among…

A growing body of research has emphasised the importance of school leadership for quality improvement in schools, which reinforces the importance of school leaders' continuous professional development in working life. However, less is known about the professional development of experienced principals. Against this background, the purpose of this…

Regional professional learning networks support school change by linking principals to others engaged in similar change work. While increasingly prevalent, little is known about the factors that contribute to the formation of ties between network members, or how knowledge moves across the network. Using social network analysis, this study examined…

The role of the principal, as an instructional leader is one of the most important roles in education today. The demands of high accountability that are placed on school principals have caused legislators and educational reformers to require more rigorous training for school leaders. Many states now have mandated state mentoring programs for entry…

This qualitative research study used narrative inquiry to explore the assistant principal experiences that contribute to transformational leadership practices in new principals. Eight administrators, who were in their first or second year as a principal, participated in the study. The findings suggested that principals play an important role in…

The Miamisburg (Ohio) City School District found that--through clarification of administrative style, definition of responsibilities, and acceptance by other administrators--the associate principal is a more effective school leader, administrative team member, and community liaison than is the usual assistant principal. (Author/RW)

Vision has been identified as a critical factor in effective leadership. Communicating the leader's vision to the staff is essential to realizing the vision. This paper reports data regarding seven elementary principals who developed a vision for their schools during attendance at a Principals' Academy. Data were also obtained from follow-up…

Findings of a study that determined the benefits of mentoring as part of an administrator preparation program are discussed in this paper. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine practicing administrators, who worked directly with aspiring administrators who served as candidates in one cycle of the Danforth Foundation Program for the…

Early in their professional careers, school principals are found to have unique needs. This document provides a description of the ways in which these needs have been addressed as a result of the recent enactment of the Entry Year Standard program in the state of Ohio. First, the nature of the new Entry Year Standard is described, with particular…

A principal and assessor for an Alabama school system describes the professional benefits of her experience with the NASSP Assessment Center Project: peer interaction, informal exchanges, and close personal contact with five other practicing administrators. (TE)

This speech proposes an approach to evaluating principals that incorporates strategies for motivating principals to improve. The first step is to abandon the "middle management mentality" by granting full decision-making authority to principals over matters directly pertaining to their schools, such as teacher employment, use of allocated funds,…

According to a Pennsylvania assessment center director, the assessment center process provides continuous opportunities for professional development and allows for the sharing of concerns and understandings with others across the nation. (TE)

Research shows conclusively that principals and other school leaders are essential to school improvement, and that these individuals benefit from the intensive, contextualized support that a coach or mentor can provide. But how does a coach support a school leader in mastering the professional and emotional challenges of school leadership for a…

This paper describes a new approach devised by the Harvard Principals' Center for improving professional development for practicing principals. The approach is predicated on a novel conception of principals as life-long learners and on the proposition that principals themselves can and should assume major responsibility for all aspects of their…

The ways in which principals have influenced or been influenced by four Teacher Corps projects are described and explained in case studies based on field interviews, observations, and a review of the documents produced in the course of the projects. The studies also provide the background both for an analysis of factors affecting the role of the…