ERIC Number: EJ1281196
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jan
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0892-0206
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
School Leaders as Change Agents: Do Principals Have the Tools They Need?
Management in Education, v35 n1 p43-51 Jan 2021
In the current climate of accountability and calls for school improvement, principals are dealing with unceasing demands to implement new educational reforms. Yet do school leaders feel equipped to implement these mandates? This study investigated the perceptions of experienced elementary principals on whether they felt prepared to be effective change agents. Findings showed that principals felt they had received very little professional development on how to be a leader of change. Instead, their professional learning as change agents occurred through on the job experience and networking with trusted colleagues. This resulted in knowledge gaps in principals' understanding of the change process. School leaders bear the responsibility of implementing change, yet principals suggest that reforms would see increased success if they were a shared responsibility with district leaders. Insights from experienced principals may help guide improved professional learning practices to provide educational leaders with the necessary skills to lead effective school improvement.
Descriptors: School Administration, Elementary Schools, Principals, Leadership Role, Transformational Leadership, Change Agents, Educational Change, Administrator Attitudes, Administrator Effectiveness, Self Efficacy, Professional Development, Knowledge Level, Work Experience, Collegiality, Foreign Countries, Change Strategies, Central Office Administrators
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A