There is a growing understanding that, after engaging teaching, educational leadership is the second most important factor accounting for student success. Despite this fundamental declaration, educational leadership has fallen through the cracks. Little interest has developed concerning in-depth studies of this important position in education.…

Despite ongoing efforts to recruit and support successful school leaders, relatively little is understood about the professional experiences and skillsets that principals possess upon entry into their positions. We trace the professional experiences and instructional effectiveness of all educators in Oregon over 14 years. We highlight that many…

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…

Research has been conducted on instructional leadership and the importance of instructional leadership, yet minimal research has been conducted on instructional leadership training models and principal perceptions on the impact of instructional leadership training on low performing schools. The problem addressed in this study was the current…

Causal relationships are traditionally examined in quantitative research. However, this article informs the discussion surrounding the potential use of qualitative data to explore causal relationships qualitatively through an empirical illustration of a school leadership development team. As school leadership development is supposed to offer…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase the knowledge of principals' professional development (PD) by focusing on the arrangements that shape a PD practice initiated to enhance principals' instructional leadership. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on findings from a three-year PD initiative in a Swedish school district. The…

Following a professional program to ensure qualification for school leadership is a growing trend. However, school leaders have also come to understand and use content from educational programs in widely different ways. There is therefore a need to study how participating school principals experience learning differently within one and the same…

The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the curriculum structure for instructional leaders' training and development against the desired competences; and to evaluate the career development framework of instructional leaders. With these ends in view, the study examined the instructional leadership framework, the curriculum document, and…

This paper explores instructional leadership practices in China. It has three interrelated purposes. The first purpose is to report data which contributes insights into how Chinese principals understand and enact instructional leadership. The second purpose is to examine how the societal context impacts the enactment of leadership and the third is…

The purpose of the research was to examine the impact of administrators' instructional technology leadership development on teacher efficacy for preparing students for high-stake online testing. The ten Texas administrators were interviewed two times in this multiple case study to determine if their capacity for instructional technology leadership…

Emotional intelligence is good for business. That is the growing consensus across sectors in recent years. In schools, the focus on people's well-being and interpersonal skills is called social and emotional learning (SEL). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as the process through which children and…

The concern about the quality of preservice preparation programs provided for new and aspiring principals in China have led to calls to evaluate current programs through participant perspectives. This paper addresses this research gap by reporting research with participants on one national training program in a Southern province of China. A mixed…

In response to the changing demographics of schools in Canada and to efforts to better equip principals to challenge inequity, leadership preparation programs have adopted new policies focusing on leading with an equity lens. However, studies have demonstrated a disconnect between what is covered in these leadership programs and how school…

This study examines the impact of the National College for Education Leadership's (NCEL) instructional training program on Jamaican school principals' transformational leadership skills. Using Instructional and Transformational Leadership theories, the study investigates how the NCEL program influences principals' leadership styles, organizational…

This study examines insights from Career and Technical Education (CTE) leaders that help to better inform the preparation of all school leaders. CTE leaders find themselves in the interesting position of being inside the PK-12 system but at the outside edge. This outsider within perspective not only gives CTE leaders a unique understanding of…