Background/purpose: This study aims to identify strengths and areas for improvement in educational management by assessing the extent to which Jordanian school principals in Mafraq apply the Six Sigma (SS) methodology. The research addresses the need to understand how effectively SS principles are being implemented to enhance school management…

Professional references are widely used in hiring decisions, yet their effectiveness remains largely understudied. We analyze structured ratings collected from the professional references of teacher applicants and conduct an experiment to see whether the ratings influence hiring managers' assessments of applicants and hiring decisions. We find…

Traditional knowledge and practices dominate the special education landscape. As the American education system continues to adopt accountability measures related to disability-inclusive practice, the challenge facing special and general education leaders lies in need for joint efforts to solve problems of practice. In the diverse, complex, and…

The job of the school principal has become much more complex and demanding over the past several decades. Many university-based principal preparation programs -- which prepare the majority of school principals -- have struggled with how to make the fundamental changes needed to prepare principals for today's schools. This report shares lessons…

Rural school principals continue to have difficulty hiring and retaining qualified teachers. Researchers have sought to determine the preferred type of preparation programs and the specific characteristics of teacher candidates, but few have specifically focused on the perceptions of the rural principal. The purpose of this study was to understand…

Perceived shortage of principals, increased accountability demands, the changing role of principals, and the growing influence of the state over school administration have created a set of challenges for principal certification and licensure that have propelled a renewed need for analysis of certification and licensure processes. Recent calls to…

This study seeks to address the main difficulties encountered by principals when carrying out their leadership role. A total of 100 principals from infant, primary, and secondary schools in the province of Alicante (Spain) were interviewed. The results show that the respondents were more affected by external problems and difficulties inherent to…

The purpose of this study was to assess the contributions of cluster resource centers in the implementation of inclusive education of children with special educational needs, and more specifically visually impaired children in Atse Sertse Dingil Cluster Primary School. A qualitative approach with case study design was used to elicit the required…

Reports have indicated a high percentage of beginning teachers leaving the teaching profession in their first few years of work. This is causing huge amount of wasteful resources invested in teacher education. Planning to retain beginning teachers in the teaching profession has become an urgent challenge for educational leaders. To investigate the…

This study discusses East Carolina University's (ECU) preparation program and its emphasis on the study and application of diversity throughout the internship. ECU's comprehensive internship provided candidates time to apply theory and knowledge about school leadership and diversity topics addressed on a monthly basis at internship seminars. A…

Classroom teacher quality can significantly impact student learning outcomes. Increased access to skilled teachers in low socioeconomic status (SES) schools could substantially improve the learning outcomes and engagement levels of young people. The National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schools (NETDS) programme is a university based…

As new assistant principals, our participants spoke of the importance of gaining experience. In this qualitative study, four years later, they admit that professional expertise must be a combination of challenging experiences and honest feedback from mentors. Furthermore, they present that this expertise is contingent upon identity. Transitioning…

This survey report contains the results of the 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12 Principal Surveys conducted by Stanford's Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA). The surveys were administered to principals in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). This report appears in two parts, each highlighting some of the aggregated responses…

As the federal role expands to support increased state investments in school-based prekindergarten programs, National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) has released an updated, principal competency guide: "Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities: Competencies for Effective Principal Practice." Developed by a panel of…

The importance of effective school leadership is well known. The inevitable changing of school leaders raises concerns over the successfulness of the succession process. Directly linked to leader succession is socialization; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the processes and practices of school systems that control the…