The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to principal engagement in the professional development process and identify what resources or supports were needed to increase engagement levels. For the purpose of this study, the professional development process included the identification of the professional learning…

Collaborative leadership is a process of leadership that allows all stakeholders to be actively involved in the decision-making process. This leadership process incorporates the perspectives and insight of the stakeholders in order to sustain effective change. The review of the literature expresses that leadership within the organization must have…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the principal's perspective of the efficacy of the principal walk-through as a tool to improve and gather formative feedback about teaching. Principals from selected schools in one district were interviewed to further clarify their feelings and provide insight into how they engaged in the…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact and response to the findings of the Quality Review, in twelve selected schools in NYC, as it related to Quality Indicator 3.4. It focused on the challenges these principals had to contend with to move from an Underdeveloped, Developing, or Proficient rating to a Well Developed rating in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the assessment literacy of Virginia principals and describe how principals with varying levels of assessment literacy integrate assessment leadership practices that support assessment for learning. This study investigated the differences in assessment literacy between elementary and secondary principals…

School reform efforts and accountability movements have shifted the responsibilities of central office leadership toward teaching and learning (Johnson & Chrispeels, 2010; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2012). Those responsibilities have encouraged central office leaders to take a more active role in ensuring improved outcomes for students (Center…

Although principals must create high levels of teachers' trust to improve school culture, enhance teacher effectiveness, and promote a productive professional learning community, they often lack the communication competence and the quality of interaction necessary to create high levels of teachers' trust. The result is an insidious, dysfunctional…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of two nontraditional (under 40 years of age) African American female principals who work in the Mississippi Delta. Specifically, I focused on the intersectionality of race, age, and gender as identity markers. I utilized purposeful sampling to select the two…

The value of both Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and efforts to embrace the idea that teachers should be held accountable for students' test scores have been debated among practitioners, policy makers, and the public for many years, but increasingly since 2010. The Common Core State Standards was implemented in 2009 to provide a basis for new…

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, feedback from 3 different groups of observers: math content specialists, content specialists in areas other than mathematics, and building principals, was analyzed using an inductive approach to identify themes within the feedback. Second, differences in the feedback offered by participants of the 3…

Structured mentoring programs for new principals are designed to support and enhance their professional abilities. Providing mentoring support for new principals has benefits that extend beyond the novice principal to the mentor, school, and school district. Although the benefits of principal mentoring are established, mentoring of new principals…

The subject of school discipline is one of the most critical issues facing our educational system. Disruptive student behavior interrupts teaching and learning processes and if not effectively addressed, it can manifest itself in other areas in a child's life, leading to more serious behaviors which may eventually lead to criminal involvement,…

Teacher leaders are people who lead by example and, in this school, most are not afraid to speak up even if it is not politically correct. Teacher leaders are selfless people who are looking out for what is best for all, especially the students. They are risk takers. With the introduction of technology and accountability measures, education…

This qualitative dissertation explores how the principal's leadership roles build capacity for change and how chaos theory contributes to this understanding. The roles studied include distributive leadership, moral leadership, social justice leadership, democratic leadership, and instructional leadership. The tenets of chaos theory examined…

Educator evaluation is described in the literature as those systems in place used to supervise educator excellence as well as to maximize and foster teacher capacity. There have been many changes within the last five years in the Massachusetts educator evaluation model, now called the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation. Once…