Frameworks for principal preparation and leadership development

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 126-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L Slater ◽  
José Maria Garcia Garduno ◽  
Kobus Mentz
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
International Study ◽  
Novice Principals ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Just Community

The International Study of Principal Preparation has made major contributions to research on novice principals across the world. The network has carried out cross-cultural research on novice principals in 15 countries on five continents since 2004. ISPP employed a mixed methods research design. The first stage was qualitative and carried out through case studies and in-depth interviews. The second stage included narrative accounts of new principals. The third stage of the study employed a survey to gauge principals’ challenges. The chief question of the study was: How can principal preparation programs be useful to novice principals? In spite of cultural differences and economic development of the countries studied, the challenges faced by novice school principals had more commonalities than differences. They included feelings of professional isolation and loneliness, the style of the previous principal, management of time, multiple tasks, and priorities, the school budget (Liang, 2011), ineffective staff, implementation of new government initiatives, and problems with school buildings and site management. Two principal preparation frameworks are presented based on the findings. They highlight the importance of context over standardization. Recommendations are made in the areas of policy, practice, and research. Formal principal preparation programs should be expanded to both developed and developing countries. Beyond basic instruction on management issues, the ISPP frameworks argue for the development of a conscious identity as a professional and an entrepreneur who is rooted in place. These roles are important, but they must be understood within the broader social, political, and economic forces that are affecting their students. Principals need to be in a position to help teachers guide students to learn to be critical of the status quo and become agents of change for a more just community.

Principal Preparation

2016 ◽  
pp. 1152-1169
Author(s):  
Kadir Beycioglu ◽  
Helen Wildy
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
International Study ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Novice Principals ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Qualitative Survey

This chapter reports quantitative and qualitative survey data from Turkey as part of a larger International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP) that examines the utility of principal preparation programs for novice principals in 13 contexts to find out what lessons can be learnt from each context. Conducted in 2010, this study sought responses from 123 principals in their first three years of appointment to identify the challenges they faced and the extent to which they perceived they were adequately prepared to face these challenges. The findings indicated that, although the participants perceived early years of principalship as challenging work, they felt that they were ready for these challenges, despite the emphasis on theory over practice in their preparation programs. Interestingly, principals who reported having greater than 10 years as assistant principals felt less adequately prepared than did their colleagues who had spent fewer than 10 years as assistant principals.

Principal Preparation

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kadir Beycioglu ◽  
Helen Wildy
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
International Study ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Novice Principals ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Qualitative Survey

This chapter reports quantitative and qualitative survey data from Turkey as part of a larger International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP) that examines the utility of principal preparation programs for novice principals in 13 contexts to find out what lessons can be learnt from each context. Conducted in 2010, this study sought responses from 123 principals in their first three years of appointment to identify the challenges they faced and the extent to which they perceived they were adequately prepared to face these challenges. The findings indicated that, although the participants perceived early years of principalship as challenging work, they felt that they were ready for these challenges, despite the emphasis on theory over practice in their preparation programs. Interestingly, principals who reported having greater than 10 years as assistant principals felt less adequately prepared than did their colleagues who had spent fewer than 10 years as assistant principals.

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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