The role of the principal in leading schools is vital to the success of the school. Mentors play a critical role in supporting educational leadership candidates during the clinical experience at the graduate level. This qualitative embedded single case design study explores the perceptions of mentors related to support from IHEs, collaboration,…

Many professions have long runways to leadership, with mentorship and increasing levels of responsibility. In contrast, the path to school leadership has historically not been well-defined. But that is changing. The role of assistant principals has become a major stepping stone to the principalship. Once thought of primarily as disciplinarians,…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine how mentoring support systems, race and gender intersectional challenges shape the pathway for five African-American women principals in a South Texas urban school district. The researcher used a semi-structured interview question protocol, audio-recorded, and professionally transcribed…

This phenomenological research study was based on elementary school teachers who felt unsupported by their principals, due to lack of frequent reviews and pertinent evaluations. In previous research studies, researchers stated that many elementary teachers were frustrated, changed schools frequently, retired early, or left the teaching profession…

Schools are complex and dynamic systems that require innovative leaders who are willing to invest in classroom teachers by giving them opportunities to lead beyond the four walls of the classroom. Because principals play an integral role in the academic achievement of students in their schools, it is incumbent upon principals to invest in teacher…

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…

The purpose of the quantitative, descriptive, correlational study was to determine the influence of the first-year teacher induction program on the retention of teachers within the first five years of their careers. The study was conducted by surveying 70 teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools in a large school district in the upstate…

This qualitative narrative inquiry study aimed to understand the social supports that current urban, alternative, high school principals perceive to have contributed to remaining in the role and providing the support to lead effectively. This study utilized House's (1981) model of social support to understand how the various types (instrumental,…

School administrators contribute to the macro and micro environmental factors that challenge the sustainability of African American teachers. Retaining African American teachers is a particular challenge for schools that serve high proportions of students of color living in households with low-income. Although some research focuses on the…

It is important to explain the scope of the concept of mentoring, which has been becoming increasingly important in training and supporting the professional development of educational administrators. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine the concept of mentoring, the functions of mentoring, and the studies carried out on the…

Problem of Practice: School principals have a powerful effect on student achievement, school culture, and teacher turnover. According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals (2020), the average career of a school principal is four years, and one in five school principals leave their schools annually. These numbers are even…

The number of Black males serving in the principal position drastically declined following the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which led to the desegregation of public schools. This unexpected outcome of Brown v. Board of Education caused Black educators to lose their jobs after being deemed unqualified to serve as teachers and…

The author highlights increasing district efforts to provide greater on-the-ground supports to help principals succeed as instructional leaders amid the many challenges of their job. The article looks in particular at district mentorship and supervision programs for principals that, according to initial studies and principal experiences, have…

Rural school principals in Tennessee face serious challenges in leading their schools, including isolation, high turnover, and a lack of instructional leadership skills. Facilitated by a state university, the Tennessee Rural Principals Network (TRPN) was developed to provide professional learning opportunities for rural school principals. The…

Being a new teacher is especially stressful and overwhelming: classroom management challenges, lack of administrator support, work-related stress, and feelings of isolation are pushing some to leave the profession all too soon. There are five actions, however, that principals can take to make new teachers a priority now, explain the authors of…