Recent reports indicate the national principal attrition rate is at an all-time high. Scholars suggest a lack of responsive professional development as a leading factor in why principals leave the field. Further, the pandemic has exposed daily uncertainties for school leaders as they navigate new territory, bringing forth new considerations in how…

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…

We reviewed the scholarship on capacities for educational leadership for the past decade of the pre-reform era (1976-1985), as well as a recent decade of the reform era (2005-2015), and compared scholarship from both decades with the current Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. We found that scholars in the past decade of the pre-reform…

Although research has established links between the principal's instructional leadership and student achievement, there is considerable concern in the literature concerning the capacity of principal preparation programs to prepare instructional leaders. This study interviewed educational leadership faculty as well as expert principals and teacher…

Researchers for this multisite quantitative study examined the relationships between teacher perceptions of the extent of teacher leadership in a school and the grade level, degree level, and leadership status of the respondents. Data for this study were collected in two administrations in 43 schools in seven U.S. states. To test for differences…

The roles and responsibilities of principals are increasingly focused on instructional leadership. In many states, changes in the preparation and credentialing of future principals have been based on recognized leadership standards. Requirements for practicing principals to complete professional development aligned with such standards have also…

Although there is a recurrent call for substantive reform in graduate programs in educational leadership, little has been written from the perspective of the new principal. This article reports the results of a survey of first-, second-, and third-year principals and assistant principals in which participants were asked to identify the knowledge…

Some steps are outlined to encourage leadership activities. (Author/MLF)

School administrators can work to develop leadership competencies in department heads, including the ability to encourage and assist fellow teachers. Suggestions for further reading are offered. (MJL)

A review of the nation's recent past and a call for emphasis on leadership and purpose in schools. (Author/MLF)

Assistant principal academies provide rigorous training for future administrators. Discusses the organizational frameworks and opportunities and hazards of such academies. Provides a description of the first academy held in McDowell County, North Carolina. Includes references. (MD)

Beginning principals experience problems in three areas: role clarification, technical problems, and socialization to the profession. Formation, a method to help people synthesize learning acquired through coursework and field experiences, has five elements: mentoring, personal reflection, educational platform development, appreciation of…

Using the analogy of ship's captain, the authors illustrate three types of leadership for school principals: nomothetic, idiographic, and transactional. (Editor)

Author outlines the dimensions, perspectives, and dimensions of leadership that are applicable to the principalship. (Editor)

For several years, Colorado school district's staff has participated in new educational management coaching and review process. Shift from centralized educational administration to site-based management involved transforming elementary and secondary director positions to area administrator/coach roles and converting central administration into an…