The purpose of this study was to report how principals describe their role as marketers for their school and examine how these perceptions influence the ways in which principals engage in their daily work. To investigate this phenomenon I conducted 30 interviews with 10 traditional public school principals in the U.S. state of New Jersey.…

Attrition rates among school leaders have risen in recent years, and scholars cite a lack of meaningful connections and responsive professional learning as leading reasons why they are leaving the field. School leaders are called to navigate unfamiliar and complex challenges, often working in isolation with limited opportunities for collaboration…

Research on school leadership has shown that a principal's influence on student achievement is indirect and significant. A sample of principals who earned the highest (distinguished) rating on the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) measure responded to open-ended questions during an in-person interview. Principals in this…

This case study describes a pilot professional development project in which school leaders met regularly in a community of practice to clarify each other's identification of a problem of practice followed by development and implementation of a school improvement plan. Findings indicated positive perceptions of and engagement in the community of…

To address disparities in post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, federal legislation mandates appropriate education programs to include transition planning and programs for students with disabilities. Because administrators are held responsible for ensuring appropriate educational programs for all learners including those with…

Does student voice matter? This study examined how Latinx students used their voice to share their experiences about how they were perceived and treated at their schools. Data collection included focus groups with Latinx students. Students' responses indicated they did not feel safe nor did their school create a caring environment. Students' also…

The study aimed to elicit a universally accepted meaning of "ethical practice in school" from teachers' codes of ethics formulated by educational leaders including school principals, the nation's government, and teachers' union representatives. Analysis was based on a random sample of 30 codes of ethics in various countries using a…

This paper has two purposes: First, we describe the components of the Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS) framework in the context of the literature on school safety. Second, we offer outcomes from a pilot study testing the framework's impact on student perceptions of: (1) school belonging; (2) sense of…

This qualitative study investigated two high school principals' articulation of establishing a sense of community. The principals' narratives, values, beliefs, and behaviors are examined through the lens of community membership, fulfillment of needs, influence, and emotional connections. Findings show that the principals, leading schools with…

This research proposes Lesson Study as a professional development structure that allows principals and teachers in secondary schools to meet the demands of English and disciplinary literacy standards. It is a collaborative study between a university and eight schools. The essential questions is, "How can Lesson Study broaden content knowledge…

This qualitative case study research examines the perceptions of three U.S. principals as they work for social justice in the school level meso context as enacted through the lens of their micro contextual values and beliefs. Through interviews with three rural high school principals, we look to the influence of context on decision making through…

The authors describe how teams of faculty and district leadership development directors used an appreciative organizing in education (AOE) framework using appreciative inquiry (AI) scholarship to promote a more sustainable architecture for the preparation and development of leaders. The AOE framework is introduced and a description is provided of…

Principals' responsibilities have escalated in quantity and complexity. Mandates to increase student achievement and improve school grades overwhelm one person. Hence, principals are obliged to enlist teachers to serve in leadership roles. This research sought to determine whether there is a relationship between distributed leadership and teacher…

As instructional leadership involves attempts to understand and improve complex systems, this study explored principals' perceptions regarding possible contributions of systems thinking to instructional leadership. Based on a qualitative analysis, systems thinking was perceived by middle and high school principals to contribute to the following…

For school administrators to facilitate impactful teacher professional development, a shift in thinking that goes beyond the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to helping teachers rethink their practice is required. Based on review of the professional development literature and our own continued observations of professional development, this…