The role of school principal, often deemed crucial for school success, is under strain due to high stress levels, isolation, and demanding responsibilities, especially in high-poverty districts, leading to a significant turnover rate. This study employed a mixed methods approach, involving an electronic questionnaire completed by 156 principals,…

It is estimated that K-12 public school districts spend approximately nine percent of their annual operating budgets on professional development to enhance the practice of teachers, yet research has found that this significant resource for training does not always yield sustained changes in instructional practices. This phenomenological…

Despite the research of Chief Diversity Officers in K-12 educational setting being limited, these DEI-focused professionals have become a recent emergent practice in Connecticut school districts. Informed by the research on Chief Diversity Officers in corporate organizational and higher educational structures, this phenomenological study aimed to…

Universities rely on Department Chairs as faculty, middle managers, and leaders. Chairs' professional development, which includes leadership training, can help them build the efficacy to tackle the demanding tasks required by the role. However, Chairs typically receive little to no preparation. This convergent parallel mixed methods study found…

To influence student achievement and improve learning outcomes, building leaders are expected to exercise key elements of instructional leadership. School leaders experience barriers to engaging in efforts to increase teacher effectiveness and guide instructional improvement, due to the demands on their time as they balance the operational,…

Undocumented students across the country have powerfully organized for the development of equitable programs and policies for undocumented students in higher education. Presidents of colleges and universities play a key role in working with undocumented activists to influence the development of these programs. Our research team with The…

Principals and superintendents are regularly required to write improvement plans. These are typically derided as being "left on the shelf" when they are supposed to be "living documents". The implication is that educational leaders are not working on their plans the way they are supposed to. Isobel Stevenson suggests that the…

Purpose: This paper aims to highlight how a group of novice principals in Connecticut and New York used relational, dispositional and situational factors to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The study aims to support new principals and educational leaders. Design/methodology/approach: Using Mutch's (2015) dispositional, relational and…

Among all in-school factors that impact student learning, teachers carry the most weight -- but school leaders are not far behind. Decades of research have proven the positive influence principals can have on student achievement, school climate and teaching quality. New evidence suggests that their impact may be even greater than previously…

There is a growing emphasis to improve every student's academic, social-emotional, and career and college development as schools strive to design and deliver comprehensive counseling programs that support students' development in these areas. The purpose of this study is to explore a large urban high school teachers' counselors and admins'…

The higher education policy implementation landscape has substantially shaped postsecondary education opportunities for undocumented youth, who are already negatively affected by discriminatory public policies, and institutional agents, who are often unprepared to address their needs. Guided by Bressers's contextual interaction theory that…

Over the past several years, policymakers across the country have enacted and updated policies designed to address safe data use in modern and evolving classrooms; now, changes in teaching practice are happening on an unprecedented scale and pace following the rapid transition to online learning. States will need to move quickly to provide student…

Despite major changes to teacher evaluation since 2009, scant research examines how principals enact these policies. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 44 principals in 13 Connecticut districts, we use structure-agency theory to characterize how principals improvised when implementing the state evaluation model. We find that principals' use of…

Researchers, policymakers and educators are increasingly focused on the accurate identification, assessment, and referral of English learners (ELs) with disabilities, stemming in part from both the under- and over-identification of ELs for special education services, as compared to non-ELs identified for these services. Appropriate decision making…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to examine the sources of stress experienced by urban high school principals and to explore the extent to which stress factors contribute to sustainable leadership practices. The study also sought to provide insight into what urban high school principals perceive as being most supportive and…