There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

The aim of this article is to analyze the perceptions on the local school and further education in the local community from a school leader's perspective. Another aim is to explore characteristics of sparsely populated rural areas. Data were derived from a survey on Swedish school leaders (n = 1,270). The results show significant variances between…

Research has shown that school leaders can substantially influence student outcomes, including student achievement, and that some school leaders improve student outcomes at a much faster rate than others do. The strong influence of school leaders on student outcomes has led to the creation of student outcome-focused professional development…

Research has shown that school leaders can substantially influence student outcomes, including student achievement, and that some school leaders improve student outcomes at a much faster rate than others do. The strong influence of school leaders on student outcomes has led to the creation of student outcome-focused professional development…

Research has shown that school leaders can substantially influence student outcomes, including student achievement, and that some school leaders improve student outcomes at a much faster rate than others do. The strong influence of school leaders on student outcomes has led to the creation of student outcome-focused professional development…

Professional development activities offered principals are often a hodgepodge of different types of programs designed to foster the sustainability of leadership practices. While professional development is important for the continual improvement of principals, Guskey (2003) describes professional development activities as generally having a…

Effective principals provide teachers with feedback on the edges of their growth moving beyond compliance-driven teacher evaluations to meaningful cycles of observation and feedback. This case focuses on preparing principal candidates to address equity issues related to teacher practices that positively impact student achievement with a veteran…

School leadership is as challenging as it is rewarding. And, in a fast paced educational policy environment, school leaders sometimes are having to play "catchup" with the latest government mandate. This challenge is exacerbated in environments where economic and social problems and lack of parental engagement in education are a daily…

The greater demand for administrators and teachers to stay current in the ever-changing world of technology and education (Cho, 2016; Merriam & Bierema, 2014), justifies the need for more effective, personalized approaches to professional development (Dill, 2015). The data analysis procedure in this study was multi-step and addressed the five…

Rural schools dominate the United States, yet scant research exists on rural school leaders' development. Urban districts can transfer leaders to different locations, but rural districts, with few school sites, need leaders who stay and adapt to changing conditions. Mid-career rural leaders require a refreshed set of skills to carry school…

This case study presents the struggles faced by a school administration in implementing a professional learning community (PLC) initiative without additional funds earmarked for implementation. In this case, Emily, the principal of Bayside Public School, creates a Buddy Day system for students that provides teachers with time during the school day…

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource…

As the accountability movement has gained momentum, policy makers and educators have strived to strike a difficult balance between the sometimes competing demands at the local, state, and federal levels. Efforts to improve accountability and teacher evaluation have taken an especially unique route in Iowa, where local control and resistance to…

This article explores the responses of school principals of small rural schools in Victoria, Australia to leadership challenges they identify as characteristic of these contexts. The research is an exercise in grounded theory building, with the focus on the principalship as it is enacted in small rural settings. The article also seeks to trace the…

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to identify the need for educators' use of lesson study as a professional learning community to increase communication between colleagues. Lesson study is considered a form of professional development in that, educator colleagues work with one another to plan, implement, critique, and revise a lesson…