When Good Intentions Only Go So Far: White Principals Leading Discussions About Race

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 732-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Swanson ◽  
Anjalé Welton
Keyword(s):  
Principal Preparation ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Racial Dialogue ◽  
White Principals

This cross-case case study explores how two White principals took the first steps to engage in racial conversations. Using the constructs of race consciousness and antiracism, race neutrality, and resistance to racial dialogue to frame our findings, we illustrate how both principals broached the topic of race with staff members. We demonstrate how the structures of whiteness hindered the principals’ progress toward addressing systemic racial inequities within their respective schools. Our article concludes with recommendations and strategies for principal preparation programs and practicing school leaders.

Reinventing Principal Preparation in Illinois

2015 ◽  
pp. 18-38
Author(s):  
Angeliki Lazaridou
Keyword(s):  
Principal Preparation ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Educational Reforms ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Complex Organizations ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Theories Of Change ◽  
Political Economic

Educational reforms are challenging and difficult with high-stakes political, economic, and societal consequences. A few years ago, the State of Illinois changed its specifications for principal preparation programs so as to better equip its school leaders to meet the contemporary learning needs of children in Illinois. In this chapter, the authors describe and analyze how the revision took place. They look for evidence of constructs presented in theories of change in complex organizations. The findings show that the complexity lens—with a focus on structures, interactions, relationships, and connectedness—contributes to an enriched appreciation of change in complex organizations like universities.

A Case Study of Lessons Learned from a Decade of Success in Preparing and Supporting Quality School Leadership Through District–University Partnerships

2020 ◽  
pp. 105268462098036
Author(s):  
Sheri S. Williams ◽  
Russ Romans ◽  
Frank Perrone ◽  
Allison M. Borden ◽  
Arlie Woodrum
Keyword(s):  
Principal Preparation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Program ◽  
Quality School

The purpose of this case study was to explore the context and key features of a successful decade-long district and university principal preparation program. Despite the importance of such partnerships, long-standing partnerships appear to be far from the norm. The partnership was designed in collaboration with faculty at a flagship university in the American Southwest and district leaders in a large urban school system. At the initiation of the partnership, the school district faced challenges similar to other districts in ensuring a steady pool of quality school leaders. The study was grounded in theory and anchored in relevant scholarly literature. Research methods included data collected from a qualitative analysis of the perspectives of key personnel who co-created the principal preparation program and supplementary data from external evaluations conducted by recognized appraisers. Findings indicate that district–university partnerships are more likely to endure when the partners are able to strengthen shared goals, leverage existing assets, sustain trusting relationships, uphold mutuality of purpose, and support collaborative interactions. The implications and recommendations from the study may appeal to other providers of principal preparation programs who desire to adapt the lessons learned and build on the assets that exist in their own unique school and community contexts. Future research on long standing district–university partnerships may help inform states in their oversight of principal preparation programs and university and district partners who wish to start or sustain the recruitment, preparation, placement, and retention of quality educational leaders in contextually specific and complex school environments.

At the Crossroads: Wellbeing and Principalship Preparation

2020 ◽  
pp. 194277512093391
Author(s):  
Julia Mahfouz ◽  
Jayson W. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Emotional Competencies ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Building Leaders ◽  
K 12

This study was designed to gain a baseline understanding of how future K-12 building leaders in pre-service principal preparation programs address their own wellbeing. In this exploratory study, pre-service school leaders across the United States self-assessed their levels of stress and social–emotional competencies. Students from 30 pre-service principal preparation programs across the United States completed a survey that included four social–emotional learning scales. The findings indicate that this population may not be well equipped to deal with the stressors of the principalship. The findings can be used as a baseline to understand how changes in curriculum might impact these constructs.

Principal Preparation Programs and Principal Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason A. Grissom ◽  
Hajime Mitani ◽  
David S. Woo
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
State Evaluation ◽  
Principal Performance ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Principal Ratings

Purpose: Concerns about variation in the quality of preservice preparation provided by many university-based principal preparation programs (PPPs) has led to calls to use outcomes of program graduates to hold PPPs accountable. Little research, however, has assessed the degree to which different outcomes for PPP graduates in fact vary systematically by program. Research Methods: Using administrative data from Tennessee, we link approximately a decade’s worth of PPP graduates to their schools, licensure examination scores, and multiple measures of job performance in their first 3 years as principals, including supervisors’ practice ratings on the state evaluation system, teacher and assistant principal ratings of school leadership on a statewide survey, and measures of student achievement growth. We use which PPP a principal completed to predict these outcomes using a regression approach with different sets of covariates. Findings: Although we are able to associate PPPs with high and low principal performance, we find that programs’ rankings vary by outcome measure, and we are unable to identify PPPs that perform consistently well or poorly across outcomes. Moreover, we find that Tennessee PPPs vary substantially in the characteristics of the schools into which their principals are hired and that taking these characteristics into account is important in ordering PPPs based on outcomes. In addition, even over a fairly long time frame, some programs produce too few graduates who later become school leaders to allow for reliable estimates. Implications: Although the use of graduates’ outcomes to differentiate PPPs holds promise, the methodological challenges to drawing valid and reliable conclusions about PPPs from graduates’ job outcomes are substantial. Policymakers and researchers may arrive at very different assessments of which PPPs are successful depending on which outcomes are chosen and what modeling approaches are employed.

scholarly journals Understanding Principals’ Knowledge of Special Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney G. Schexnider
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Related Information ◽  
School Year

The percentage of students identified as eligible to receive special education services in the United States has grown from 8.3% in the 1976-77 school year to 14% during the 2018-19 school year (Hussar et al., 2020). Given this level of growth and the myriad of levels of support principals provide for students with disabilities, one would assume that principal preparation programs have adjusted their curriculum to ensure future school administrators are prepared to support every student, including those with disabilities. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how current school administrators learned special education-related information for their role, what they believe are the most important aspects of special education, and to identify how background, experience, and self-efficacy play a role in principals’ skills related to their role as their building’s special education leader. A web-based survey was used to gather information from current school administrators working in Idaho’s P-12 school districts. Results of this study show that the majority of Idaho’s school administrators are learning special education-related knowledge and skills on the job and through professional development, rather than as part of their principal preparation programs. Recommendations are made to enhance the learning opportunities in both principal preparation programs as well as in-service professional development to develop strong, supportive, school-based special education leaders.

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