Connecting the preparation of school leaders to the practice of school leadership

Abstract

This article is predicated on the assumption that the behaviors that characterize the practice of school leadership should be the focus of the training programs for educational leaders. To understand the link between preparation and practice of school leaders, we first need to look at what is meant by the term educational leadership. Only by becoming aware of what a leader is can we begin to study what characteristics must be developed in training programs to assure that these characteristics are reflected later in school leadership behaviors. After looking at some commonly accepted definitions of leadership, this article identifies specific leadership behaviors that are hypothesized to be directly related to these definitions. Next, a brief description is given of college and university preparation programs for school leadership, including a historical account of their changing nature. And finally, an example is offered of a key element that is common to both educational leadership