Customary practice in schools is that educators work in silos, often neglecting the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues to truly meet all students' needs. As students transition from middle school to high school, a clear bridging process is vital to set students up for success. Conventional parameters will need to be dismantled, and…

The internship is a crucial component of principal preparation. This systematic research review aims to build on two prior syntheses of existing research on principal internships. We employed an exhaustive review of five search engines for empirical studies on principal internships in the United States between 2010 and 2023. Our search yielded 92…

Traditional professional development models for principals focused on managerial tasks are presented in isolated, task-driven episodes. Today's principals lead complex and challenging high-accountability environments along with playing an expanded role of instructional leadership for boosting student achievement. The problem is school principals…

This non-experimental quantitative study aimed to examine the relationship between principal coaching and principal job satisfaction. The study had two research questions: Is there a relationship between the coaching from central office administrators and principals' job satisfaction? Which coaching practices from central office administrators, as…

Providing professional development to busy principals is an ongoing challenge for many school districts. Lynn Public Schools in Massachusetts and the nonprofit Center for Artistry and Scholarship (CAS) in Boston partnered to provide professional development to 16 principals in the district. Linda F. Nathan, Taarini Goyal, and Evonne Alvarez…

School principals are critical to students' academic achievement, second only to teachers. They are the primary agents of change in their schools, fostering supportive learning environments that enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. Moreover, they often design and oversee the initiatives and hiring to sustain the positive changes…

The effectiveness of an instructional coach is extremely important in the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the current reality of school stakeholders' perceptions of roles, responsibilities, and barriers to effective instructional coaching and to use this information to make recommendations to…

Once leaders of one-room schoolhouses, principals' roles have expanded to instructional commanders over complex public-school structures (Hallinger, 1992). As the roles and responsibilities of the school principal evolve and grow, more support for school leaders is necessary. Coaching has been defined as a "supportive model for systems…

The empirical research examining the effects of virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC) on principal leadership development is limited. Furthermore, little is known about school leaders who engage in virtual professional leadership learning communities (VPLCs) and how much school leaders grow with VPLCs who are also receiving VMC at the same time.…

In this era of the Great Resignation, when nearly 40% of principals anticipate leaving their roles, districts need more resilient leaders who can meet the challenges ahead. The past two years--from the global pandemic to the national social justice movement--have created a vastly more complex and demanding environment for school leaders. The need…

Demographics of the United States' school system continue to change and diversify. Meeting the needs of diverse learners is critical to the success of all children. Building and sustaining equitable learning environments has proven to be a challenging task for school leaders. Barriers that hinder equity continue to plague schools and are rooted in…

Demographics of suburban schools are shifting from predominantly White families to include more individuals and families of color, immigrants, and those who are economically vulnerable (Diamond & Posey-Maddox, 2020). In order to lead their changing communities in pursuit of equity, school administrators need support and guidance to recognize…

As a major component of leadership development, professional development (PD) support needs more researchers to focus on possible ways to build school leaders' instructional capacity. Despite the increasing use of virtual professional development (VPD) as venues for leadership development, little is known about the essential components of an…

Significant numbers of early career teachers decide to leave the profession every year. National data indicate that more than 44% of teachers leave the profession within five years and teachers in high-needs schools are more apt to leave after the first year. Attrition is a salient concern for the field of education because of its financial…

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…