Principal Effectiveness Research Articles

Effectiveness and Safety of Standard-Dose Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants and Warfarin Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation With a Single Stroke Risk Factor

The randomized clinical trials comparing nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) vs warfarin largely focused on recruiting high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation with more than 2 stroke risk factors, with only the trials testing dabigatran or apixaban including few patients with 1 stroke risk factor. Despite this, regulatory approvals of all NOACs have been based on stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation with 1 or more stroke risk factors. To compare the effectiveness and safety study of standard-dose NOACs (dabigatran at 150 mg twice daily, rivaroxaban at 20 mg once daily, and apixaban at 5 mg twice daily) and warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation with 1 low-risk, nonsex-related stroke risk factor. This nationwide observational cohort study used data from Danish registries to determine the inverse probability of treatment-weighted comparative effectiveness and safety of standard-dose NOACs (dabigatran at 150 mg twice daily, rivaroxaban at 20 mg once daily, and apixaban at 5 mg twice daily) compared with treatment with warfarin among 14 020 patients with atrial fibrillation with 1 low-risk, nonsex- related stroke risk factor. Rates of ischemic stroke/systemic embolism, death, and bleeding. Of 14 020 participants, 5151 (36.7%) were women, and the median age for participants was 66.5 years. For the principal effectiveness end point of ischemic stroke/systemic embolism, no significant differences of the NOACs compared with treatment with warfarin across strata were evident. For the end point of "any bleeding," this was significantly lower for treatment with apixaban (hazard ratio [HR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.72) and dabigatran (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30-0.77) compared with warfarin in the main analysis, and was not significantly different for treatment with rivaroxaban vs warfarin (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.49-1.44). There was broad consistency across most subgroups in the sensitivity analyses and whether 1- or 2.5-year follow-up periods were analyzed. However, falsification end points generally did not falsify, indicating the possible presence of residual confounding across these comparisons, presumably related to selective prescribing and unobserved covariates. In this Danish cohort study of patients with atrial fibrillation and a single stroke risk factor, there was no difference between NOACs compared with treatment with warfarin in terms of the risk of having an ischemic stroke/systemic embolism. For "any bleeding," this was lower for treatment with apixaban and dabigatran compared with warfarin. These data do not allow for a definitive statement of the comparative effectiveness or safety of NOACs because of the possible residual confounding that was unmasked with falsification outcomes.

What Does Emotional Intelligence and Gender Have to Do with Leadership Effectiveness "¦.Or Does It?

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the relationship between the emotional intelligenceand gender of the principal, and teacher's perceptions of the principal's leadership effectiveness. Theresearcher administered the Emotional IQ Test (Jerabek, 1998) to 32 randomly selected principals. Onehundred and sixty randomly selected teachers in the buildings of these administrators then took the observerform of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner's, 2001) to measure the leader'sperceived effectiveness. The leadership practices and gender were correlated to the two aspects of emotionalintelligence to determine possible relationships. Findings show that principals with higher emotionalintelligence are perceived to be more effective. Overall, women have a higher EQ than their malecounterparts and the building level assignment had a significant impact on how principals were perceived.

Preparing Principals to Improve Student Achievement

Background The growing interest in principal effectiveness as a means of improving teaching and student learning has led to a focus on the quality of principal preparation programs (PPPs) with calls for the adoption of PPP accountability systems similar to those of teacher preparation programs.

A Study of Relationship between Leadership Styles of Principal and Teacher Effectiveness

A Study of Relationship between Leadership Styles of Principal and Teacher Effectiveness

Is full pre-hospital spinal immobilisation best for the patient? A review of current controversies

Spinal immobilisation has long been an accepted part of pre-hospital care. There is, however, a lack of evidence that spinal immobilisation is effective in reducing spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this article is to review a broad range of literature in relation to spinal immobilisation and consider some of the current controversies. Despite a lack of high-quality research, following a comprehensive literature search, 13 pieces of primary research and 4 pieces of secondary research were identified. The literature identified a number of potential controversies relating to the principal effectiveness of immobilisation, side effects of immobilisation and patient outcome in comparison to non-immobilised patients. Given these areas of controversy, many of which are of fundamental importance, it seems logical that further high-quality research is required to establish whether spinal immobilisation is effective or otherwise.

Evaluating State Principal Evaluation Plans Across the United States

Recent federal legislation has created strong incentives for states to adopt principal evaluation systems, many of which include new measures of principal effectiveness such as estimates of student growth and changes in school climate. Yet, there has been little research on principal evaluation systems and no state-by-state analysis of the principal evaluation systems adopted at the behest of the legislation. This study uses survey data and document review to assess the components of principal evaluation systems in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Finally, based on recent research, this study critiques the various components of these new evaluation systems.

How effective is the principal? Discrepancy between New Zealand teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of principal effectiveness

Multi-source evaluation of school principals is likely to become increasingly common in education contexts as the evidence accumulates about the relationship between principal effectiveness and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the magnitude and direction of discrepancy between how principals and their teachers perceive the principal’s effectiveness and (2) what predicts principals who are at risk because their self-ratings considerably exceed the ratings others give them. We also investigated the appropriateness of various probability cut levels in analyses to predict overrating principals. The data sources were ratings by New Zealand principals (n = 135) and their teachers (n = 2757) of principal effectiveness—one scale (16 items) of an educational leadership practices survey. On average, both groups rated principals highly, and teachers tended to rate their principal higher than the principals rated themselves. There was more variance in teachers’ ratings than principals’ ratings. The variables of principal age (younger), time in principal role at the school (shorter), and socio-economic status of the school (lower) were all associated with greater magnitudes of discrepancy. Such discrepancies have implications for principals’ evaluations, principal development efforts, and for school improvement.

Personality and Leadership Effectiveness

Personality and Leadership Effectiveness Dr. Khuda Bakhsh, Dr. Shafqat Hussain, Dr. Muhammad Naeem Mohsin Abstract The study explored certain personality traits taken as determinants of leadership effectiveness. A sample of five hundreds teachers from one hundred secondary schools participated in the study. The researcher developed a questionnaire to measure the personality traits and principal’s leadership effectiveness was measured by LPI (Leadership Practices Inventory). The Collected data was entered into SPSS for data analysis. The data analysis was made using step-wise and multiple regressions to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that stress tolerance is the best predictor of principal leadership effectiveness followed by his emotional stability, self confidence, attractive looks and humor orientation. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v4n2_1a14

A Bridge Too Far? Challenges in Evaluating Principal Effectiveness

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the assumptions underlying efforts to evaluate principal effectiveness in terms of student test scores, to review extant research on efforts to estimate principal effectiveness, and to discuss the appropriateness of including estimates of principal effectiveness in evaluations of principals. Method: We review 10 different strategies for estimating principal effectiveness based on student test scores, representing all of the strategies currently employed by states and districts. We base our reviews on the literature in three areas: use of test scores, evaluation, and statistical approaches to estimating the effects of individuals and schools on student test scores. Conclusions: We conclude there are currently no strategies to estimate principal effectiveness that accurately capture the independent effect of principals on student test scores; thus, these current strategies send inaccurate signals to both principals and those who make employment decisions about principals. Moreover, we also conclude a substantial proportion of principals could not be included in the most accurate strategies to assess principal effectiveness. Implications: This research has profound implications for states and districts implementing principal evaluation systems, particularly those making high-stakes decisions about principals based on statistical estimates of principal effectiveness. Indeed, such statistical estimates should be used not for making judgments or decisions about principals but rather as a screening tool to identify where states and districts should focus more in-depth and accurate strategies to evaluate principal effectiveness.

Anatomical and clinical substantiation of the long head of triceps transposition to restore active forearm flexion in patients with arthrogryposis

Purpose: to investigate anatomic features of the long head of triceps brachii in relation to its using as a pedicle flap for restoration of active forearm flexion in patients with arthrogryposis. Material and methods. Anatomical studies were performed on 15 fresh frozen human upper limbs from 9 cadavers. Arteries were perfused with radiopaque masses and following preparation, sectional roentgenography, morphometry of anatomical structures were carried. 29 patients with the lack of active elbow flexion aged from 8 months to 15 years were examined (clinical, neurological and physiological studies) and treated in Turner Scientific and Research Institute for Children's Orthopedics from 2008 to 2012. Results and conclusion. Anatomical studies demonstrated the possibility of transposition of the long head of triceps to forearm flexors position. The long head of triceps can be simply separated from the other two heads, it has independent innervation and blood supply, its vascular pedicle is easily identified, and length of extraorgan vessels and nerves is sufficient to transfer the muscle as a pedicle flap. Clinical study has shown the principal possibility and effectiveness of restoration of active forearm flexion in patients with arthrogryposis using the long head of triceps brachii.

Principals’ leadership in school administration: A study of principal effectiveness in Turkish public schools

The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions of teachers about the administrative behaviour of all the principals working in Pazaryeri, one of the towns in the city of Bilecik, Turkey. The sufficiency of principals have been investigated in terms of administration of instructional processes and curriculum, assesment of students and instructional processes, motivation and improvement of teachers, creation of teaching-learning climate. Administration of schools and achieving the goals in a democratic and transparent society requires effective leadership that is greatly transformed according to the in and out of the school. It is understood that administrative style in the schools are mostly based on rules and structure instead of values, meanings, symbols and expectation. Key words: Administration, principal, efectiveness, teacher.

Effective group training for patients with unexplained physical symptoms: a randomized controlled trial with a non-randomized one-year follow-up.

BackgroundAlthough cognitive-behavioral therapy for Unexplained Physical Symptoms (UPS) is effective in secondary care, studies done in primary care produced implementation problems and conflicting results. We evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group training tailored to primary care patients and provided by a secondary community mental-health service reaching out into primary care.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe effectiveness of this training was explored in a randomized controlled trial. In this trial, 162 patients with UPS classified as undifferentiated somatoform disorder or as chronic pain disorder were randomized either to the training or a waiting list. Both lasted 13 weeks. The preservation of the training's effect was analyzed in non-randomized follow-ups, for which the waiting group started the training after the waiting period. All patients attended the training were followed-up after three months and again after one year. The primary outcomes were the physical and the mental summary scales of the SF-36. Secondary outcomes were the other SF-36-scales and the SCL-90-R. The courses of the training's effects in the randomized controlled trial and the follow-ups were analyzed with linear mixed modeling. In the randomized controlled trial, the training had a significantly positive effect on the quality of life in the physical domain (Cohen's d = 0.38;p = .002), but this overall effect was not found in the mental domain. Regarding the secondary outcomes, the training resulted in reporting an improved physical (Cohen's d = 0.43;p = 0.01), emotional (Cohen's d = 0.44;p = .0.01), and social (Cohen's d = 0.36;p = 0.01) functioning, less pain and better functioning despite pain (Cohen's d = 0.51;p = <0.001), less physical symptoms (Cohen's d = −.23;p = 0.05) and less sleep difficulties (Cohen's d = −0.25;p = 0.04) than time in the waiting group. During the non-randomized follow-ups, there were no relapses.Conclusions/SignificanceThe cognitive-behavioral group training tailored for UPS in primary care and provided by an outreaching secondary mental-health service appears to be effective and to broaden the accessibility of treatment for UPS.Trial RegistrationTrialRegister.nl NTR1609 <rctview.asp?TC = 1609>

Principal leadership style, school performance, and principal effectiveness in Dubai schools

This study investigated whether a correlation exists between the principal’s leadership style and both a) performance level and b) the principal’s effectiveness in schools in Dubai. It also investigated whether the correlations change according to the principal’s gender, years of experience, and the level of the school (primary, intermediate, and secondary). Data on principals’ leadership styles and effectiveness were collected through Avolio and Bass’ (1995) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) completed by teachers in 34 government schools. Data on school performance were obtained from the 2010 Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau report. The study found that the transformational leadership style was most frequently employed, followed by the transactional style, and then the passive or avoidant style. The study found a positive correlation between the principal leadership style and his/her effectiveness, but found no correlation with school performance. Finally, principal style and effectiveness differed according to the principal’s gender and the level of the school, but not according to the principal’s years of experience. Findings of this study open a new area of research on school principalship, performance, and effectiveness in the UAE.

Integral Education in National Standards: An Application at the Local Level

This paper examines the challenges and unintended consequences of an emphasis on National Standards in Education and presents a response to Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s call to “unleash energy for reform at the local level.” A review and comparison of AdvancEd (2011) standards and Kania and Kramer’s (2011) Collecitve Impact conditions finds a missing or not fully articulated component to assessing educational practices and student achievement, that of subjectivity, when observed through the lens of Wilber’s (2005) Integral Theory. The work of Zhao (2009), a sample mission and vision statement from a local school district, along with Waters, Marazano, and McNulty’s (2003) assessment of principal effectiveness form the basis for a proposed framework that captures the elusive nature of subjectivity in five domains: 21st Century Learning Skills, Self-esteem/Self-concept/Self-efficacy, Expressed Creativity and developmentally informed Talent Diversity. Each component in this framework is supported with a sample of research findings in education and other disciplines.

The different faces of principal mentorship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine principal mentoring, a process that is significant in principal identification, socialization, development, and retention.Design/methodology/approachThe study was framed within the social constructivism paradigm and thematically examined individual perspectives to develop the thematic constructs relevant to the participants’ experiences of and perceptions about principal mentoring.FindingsThematic analysis of the interview data from 16 principals from the state of Georgia, USA, revealed five major themes related to leaders’ experiences of and perceptions about principal mentoring: mentoring as recruitment; mentoring as socialization; mentoring as support; mentoring as professional development; and mentoring as reciprocal learning.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings were limited to the sample of principals used for this analysis. Researchers are encouraged to examine principal mentoring in other contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of this inquiry suggest the need for formal and informal mentoring opportunities for new and experienced principals and call for further research on comparing mentoring practices between the large and small schools systems.Originality/valueThe paper identifies mentoring as an important path to principal effectiveness and contributes to the corpus of literature on educational mentoring by examining the perceptions and experiences of new and experienced principals about the mentoring they received and provided.

Can Good Principals Keep Teachers in Disadvantaged Schools? Linking Principal Effectiveness to Teacher Satisfaction and Turnover in Hard-to-Staff Environments

Background High rates of teacher turnover likely mean greater school instability, disruption of curricular cohesiveness, and a continual need to hire inexperienced teachers, who typically are less effective, as replacements for teachers who leave. Unfortunately, research consistently finds that teachers who work in schools with large numbers of poor students and students of color feel less satisfied and are more likely to turn over, meaning that turnover is concentrated in the very schools that would benefit most from a stable staff of experienced teachers. Despite the potential challenge that this turnover disparity poses for equity of educational opportunity and student performance gaps across schools, little research has examined the reasons for elevated teacher turnover in schools with large numbers of traditionally disadvantaged students. Purpose This study hypothesizes that school working conditions help explain both teacher satisfaction and turnover. In particular, it focuses on the role of effective principals in retaining teachers, particularly in disadvantaged schools with the greatest staffing challenges. Research Design The study conducts quantitative analyses of national data from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey and the 2004-05 Teacher Follow-up Survey. Regression analyses combat the potential for bias from omitted variables by utilizing an extensive set of control variables and employing a school district fixed effects approach that implicitly makes comparisons among principals and teachers within the same local context. Conclusions Descriptive analyses confirm that observable measures of teachers’ work environments, including ratings of the effectiveness of the principal, are generally less positive in schools with large numbers of disadvantaged students. Regression results show that principal effectiveness is associated with greater teacher satisfaction and a lower probability that the teacher leaves the school within a year. Moreover, the positive impacts of principal effectiveness on these teacher outcomes are even greater in disadvantaged schools. These findings suggest that policies focused on getting the best principals into the most challenging school environments may be effective strategies for lowering perpetually high teacher turnover rates in those schools.

Triangulating Principal Effectiveness

While the importance of effective principals is undisputed, few studies have identified specific skills that principals need to promote school success. This study draws on unique data combining survey responses from principals, assistant principals, teachers, and parents with rich administrative data to determine which principal skills correlate most highly with school outcomes. Factor analysis of a 42-item task inventory distinguishes five skill categories, yet only one of them, the principals’ Organization Management skills, consistently predicts student achievement growth and other success measures. Analysis of evaluations of principals by assistant principals supports this central result. The analysis argues for a broad view of principal leadership that includes organizational management skills as a key complement to the work of supporting curriculum and instruction.

Investing in Administrator Efficacy: An Examination of Professional Development as a Tool for Enhancing Principal Effectiveness

A primary goal of school districts’ investments in professional development for principals is to enhance their effectiveness. This study examines the connection between administrator professional development and performance in a national sample of schools. We show that not all types of administrator professional development participation correlate positively with teachers’ ratings of principal performance. In particular, we find evidence that principals who invest in university course work as professional development are rated lower. In contrast, participation in formal mentoring programs is associated with higher ratings. Employing instrumental variables to account for selection on unobserved factors into different professional development types, we uncover further evidence of a negative impact of university course taking on principal performance.

PRINCIPAL'S LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR AS A DETERMINANT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA.

This study examined the relationship between principal's leadership behaviour and effectiveness of secondary schools in Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was adopted. The population consisted of all the teachers and principals in the public secondary schools in South West Nigeria. The sample was however made up of 1200 teachers and 60 principals from 60 secondary schools across 3 states in the region. Multistage, simple and proportionate stratified random sampling techniques were used to select the states, schools and the teachers used for the study. Two sets of instruments were used to collect the data for the study. The data were analysed using frequency counts, percentage scores and Pearson product moment correlation. The hypothesis formulated was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the behaviour of principals in the area covered was satisfactorily encouraging. The study also showed that the schools were effective in the affective and the psychomotor domains but not all that effective in the cognitive domain. The study further showed significant relationship between principals' leadership behaviour and secondary school effectiveness. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the principals of schools should not relent in sustaining the tempo of their leadership behaviour. It was also recommended that all the stakeholders in the secondary school education as well as the government should try to uphold the level of performance of students in the affective and the psychomotor domains while efforts should be geared towards improving upon the students' performance in the cognitive domain.

Principals' Performance Assessment

Despite the current interest in many countries in assessing the principal's performance, stemming from the greater attention to educational reform and accountability, the empirical study of principal's appraisal has been slow to develop. This article was designed to fill partially this gap. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews of eight primary school supervisors and 24 primary school principals from four of the six educational districts in Israel. The subjects were asked to respond to the following questions related to the purposes of the principals' appraisal, political factors exerted on principals' appraisal, assessment usefulness and its impact upon principals' effectiveness. Results reveal that both groups had different perceptions regarding the principal appraisal purposes, processes, usefulness and effectiveness, which corroborate studies conducted in other countries. While most of the supervisors believed that the assessment process was helpful, 75 percent of the principals reported that the assessment was a waste of time. Regarding the improvement of the process, while the supervisors put emphasis on summative assessment and the need for more resources for supervision, school principals emphasized formative assessment, portfolios, being involved in the process and peer assessment.