The Learning While Leading (LWL) professional development program motivates and further prepares administratively certified educators to become principals or assistant principals and offers continuous support to new principals during induction. The LWL program addresses a clear need for transitional support to motivate, fully prepare, and support…

This quantitative study investigated the relationships among elementary school principals' efficacy beliefs (Instructional, Moral, and Management Leadership), principals' goal expectations for student achievement (expected outcome), and their impacts on actual student achievement. Two hundred and fifty elementary school principals completed an…

A growing body of research suggests that school leaders and policymakers should attend to the social conditions within schools that promote instructional improvement and student achievement gains. This dissertation uses theoretical and empirical work on social capital to frame three aspects of the relationships among teachers. The three studies…

Due to an aging population of currently practicing superintendents, research predicts a large turnover in public school superintendent positions in this decade. Questions exist regarding whether there are sufficient numbers of potential superintendent candidates in training to fill these positions. Although principals have been recognized as a…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze how high school principals approached developing a collaborative culture and providing collaborative leadership in a large high school setting. The population sample for this study was 82 principals of large comprehensive high schools of grades 9 through 12 or some combination thereof with…

Although principals play a vital role as school leaders, exactly how principal leadership affects student learning is only beginning to be understood. In fact, only a few states have analyzed basic profile data on their principals--their demographics, education, and prior experience before leading a school. Most states also have yet to examine how…

This report provides a detailed descriptive analysis of the principals who led Illinois public schools from 2001 through 2008. The authors begin with a brief historical review of the research literature on educational administration to provide a foundation for understanding the broader context for this study. Using state administrative records and…