The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine principals' perspectives on a model of professional development (PD) in writing. Participants were 14 principals and seven assistants from a rural district's K to 12 school system who shared in an interview their challenges and advice for effective PD at a building and district level. Their…

This report presents a multi-case qualitative research study on how to support teacher professional learning and development of their digital competence, through a self-reflection process using SELFIEforTEACHERS (SfT). The study investigated how SfT can be used in different settings and what factors, enablers and barriers affect its effective…

The principal's impact as an instructional leader influences many elements that keep a school building running effectively. Assistant principals, as emerging school leaders, must be prepared and cultivated with the proper support and resources to thrive in principalship positions. Support through school district-based principal preparation and…

Although the number of principal preparation programs (PPPs) has continued to grow, researchers have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of these licensing programs, particularly given the importance of a principal in student achievement and teacher retention. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the perceptions of graduates of the…

The contributions of assistant principals (APs) toward improving student and staff outcomes has not yet been a focus of much empirical research. In recent years, as the increased focus on improving student outcomes has shifted expectations and APs are now expected to perform some instructional leadership tasks, such as coaching and evaluating…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how novice Assistant Principals (APs) perceived administrative professional learning experiences. Data came from twelve first-year APs in two Southeast United States public school districts during the 2017-2018 academic year. Through use of semi-structured interviews, a description of how the…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Pathway to Leadership in Urban Schools (PLUS) program as implemented in a large urban school district. The program was designed to select and develop school assistant principals (APs) to be more effective at instructional leadership. The study spanned four school years, 2015/16 through 2018/19, and…

Leading American schools is a multi-faceted and complex role as states have adopted requirements for the mentoring of new principals. Interactive problem-based simulations can offer novice principals opportunities to practice solving job-embedded issues. This study explored practicing administrators interacting with simulations embedded into an…

This article describes findings from a single-case qualitative study of a unique 2-year professional development academy for practicing assistant principals designed and implemented in partnership between school district personnel and university educational leadership faculty members. The study was conducted based on the theoretical framework of…

This article explores the notion of leadership identity construction as it happens through a leadership development programme. Influenced by a conception that leadership development is essentially about facilitating an identity transition, it uses an intersectional approach to explore school leaders' identity construction as it was shaped and…

Principal shortages have become a nationwide issue, with education publications frequently discussing the devastating problem of not having enough high-quality candidates apply for administrative positions. The conundrum begs the question: Where have all the instructional leaders gone? To meet the challenge of keeping high-quality principal…

We use detailed data from New York City to estimate how the characteristics of school principals relate to school performance, as measured by students' standardized exam scores and other outcomes. We find little evidence of any relationship between school performance and principal education and pre-principal work experience, although we do find…

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the GROW program on the intrinsic, extrinsic, and the general job satisfaction of principals and assistant principals in Pennsylvania. The impact of the variables of year in position, age, gender, level of work, location of school, and present degree was examined; the impact of…

The purpose of this study was to identify principals' instructional leadership actions within a comprehensive teacher evaluation system in successful schools rated as recognized or exemplary by the accountability measures in place. The study followed a multiple case study approach. Participants included six school administrators within the same…