ERIC Number: EJ1453577
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0258-2236
EISSN: EISSN-2519-593X
Perceptions of Principals and District Officials Regarding How the School District Supports Principals' Instructional Leadership
Perspectives in Education, v42 n4 p349-365 2024
The 21st century places significant demands on our educational system. It is an opportune time to re-imagine the mission, operations, and skills expected of school district offices. The focus of this study was on the school district's role in strengthening principals' instructional leadership capacity for improving educational outcomes. Using a case study design, interviews were conducted with 10 principals and 14 district officials in one school district. The findings showed that district officials placed instructional leadership at the core of their role in their interactions with principals. They continued to monitor curriculum delivery and provided reports but also assumed a mentoring approach in working with principals. The study further highlighted that principals did not always implement recommendations to improve instruction at schools as they felt overwhelmed by work demands. Principals expressed the need for professional development tailored to their instructional leadership roles and on-site workshops. The findings indicate that there is aneed for greater communication between principals and district officials where principals can openly deliberate issues related to instructional leadership confronting their schools with a view to problem solving. Moreover, district officials could enable the sharing of best instructional practices among schools.
Descriptors: Administrator Attitudes, Principals, Board of Education Role, School Districts, Instructional Leadership, Mentors, Central Office Administrators, Administrator Role, Professional Development, Interpersonal Communication, Foreign Countries, Barriers, Curriculum
University of the Free State Faculty of Education. P.O. Box 339, Bioemfontein 9300, South Africa. Tel: +27-51-401-2368; e-mail: PiE@ufs.ac.za; Web site: https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A