This qualitative study explored whether novice principals believed their principal development program had adequately prepared them for high-performance ratings on the principal evaluation rubric. Over the past two decades, legislation has stressed that student achievement is an essential component of leadership effectiveness (Pannell &…

The Principal is arguably the most influential person on a school campus. If a unified school district employs principals, they have a centralized support system to assist them in their quest to advance the community they serve. This work uses a phenomenological approach to investigate the perception principals have towards the support systems in…

This study investigates how classified staff across one school district are experiencing communication from the district's school leaders. Classified staff are essential personnel in terms of school districts achieving their overall educational goals. Their roles in the district are mediated through communication with district leaders, however,…

Across the United States, school districts are reshaping the role of principal supervisors to include supervision practices intended to enhance the instructional and leadership skills of the principals they supervise. The purpose of this research study is to add to the existing body of research involving the predominant practices that principal…

This qualitative case study looks at school improvement through the on-the-ground experiences of principal supervisors. Beginning with a review of literature on how systems are organized for success, the role of district central offices, and the impact of leadership on improvement, I investigate the work of principal supervisors as they develop…

This qualitative study seeks to illuminate the leadership stories of classified staff who participated in prototype leadership development courses in a Southern California school district. Interviews with eight participants revealed that leadership development impacts classified employees' perceptions of leadership, but few support staff members…

This multiple case study explored the relationship between school district and school site environments and the character of instructional coaching. Across the US billions of dollars are spent every year on professional development for teachers, and over the last few decades, coaching, as a form of professional development, has grown in…

Research on school districts has repeatedly found that focusing on student learning and instructional leadership is a key component to effectiveness (Murphy & Hallinger, 1988; Leithwood, 2010; Anderson & Young, 2018). Districts are currently undergoing a redefinition of roles in order to specifically support principals as instructional…

The rate of principal turnover has been a concern in the United States since the 1980's (Wilson & Heim, 1984). The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted the role of the principal. The 2021 National Principal Survey revealed that 38% of current principals will likely quit the profession by 2025 (NASSP, 2021). The concern of an upheaval of…

Many aspects of a student teacher's clinical year help determine their success in the future. Understanding the lived experiences of both cooperating teachers and student teachers is essential to understanding the dynamics of that relationship and how district-university partnerships foster an environment of mentoring and support. This study aims…

Principal supervisors play a critical role in supporting school principals. However, historically, principal supervisors were ill prepared to address these challenges at either the district or school level. Since 2011, the role of the principal supervisors has been reexamined to provide better outcomes for students and increased support for…

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of secondary teachers characterized as passionate on the critical incidents that shaped, negatively or positively, their levels of passion. Vallerand and colleagues describe passion as a strong inclination or desire toward an activity that one likes and finds important enough to invest time and…

Culturally responsive and socially just leadership is crucial in today's world. The author implemented a qualitative research method using a bounded case study. These terminologies: "culturally responsive, socially just, and equitable leadership" (Khalifa, 2020; Lopez, 2016; Peters & Luke, 2021; Shields, 2017) consciously formed the…

The advent and ubiquity of mobile technologies, the Internet, and broadband have allowed people to access, use, and create a seemingly endless amount of information in unprecedented ways. This has led to an information world that is more connected, more complex, and more overwhelming than ever before. For children, learning how to use these 21st…

This qualitative case study of six principals and their district-level supervisors examines how principals' self-efficacy is influenced by the feedback they receive from their supervisor, as well as the ways the experience and influence of this feedback varies by the principals' gender. The messages conveyed to principals about entering formal…