School Leadership Preparation Programs Research Articles

Experiencing Educational Leadership Preparation Program Redesign in Alabama

Calls for changing educational leadership preparation have led many state policy makers to initiate program redesign efforts; the governor of Alabama constituted a working group to examine the situation and develop recommendations. This article details the school leadership preparation program redesign process in Alabama from the perspective of faculty at one university. The article presents an overview of the design process, basic program tenets, and manner in which one set of university faculty engaged in this endeavor. It also presents facilitating and hindering factors, compares redesigned program with previous program, and aligns the redesigned program with best practices.

The learning needs of secondary school principals: An investigation in Nakuru district, Kenya

School leaders have long been recognised as crucial to the quality of schooling. As a result, the preparation and development of school leaders has attracted substantial attention from practitioners, systemic authorities, academics and policy makers. While this discourse has a long history in the US and to a lesser extent other parts of the world such as Britain and Australia, in recent times there has been an emerging voice from Africa. This paper contributes to this emerging literature by reporting on a project conducted in the Nakuru district of Kenya. We argue that for the meaningful construction of school leadership preparation and development programs, there is a need for greater acknowledgement and engagement with the learning needs of practitioners. Key words: School leadership preparation, professional development, Kenya, secondary schools, Africa.

Audio and video reflections to promote social justice

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how 15 graduate students enrolled in a US school leadership preparation program understand issues of social justice and equity through a reflective process utilizing audio and/or video software.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the tradition of grounded theory. The researcher collected 225 weekly audio/video reflections in addition to field notes and participants' written narratives.FindingsFindings from the data analysis indicate participants perceive the use of audio and video as a valuable tool to increase their awareness and responses to addressing oppressive school practices as leaders for social justice.Originality/valueThose who prepare school leaders might consider the use of audio/video reflections as an effective tool to examine the evolution of school leadership identities in an effort to interrupt oppressive school practices.

Children's spirit

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to increase awareness of the interactions among school leadership standards, cultural competence, and decision‐making practices for chief school executives.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this objective, 1,087 chief school executives, who were members of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in 2006, completed an electronic survey. Respondents rank‐ordered eight leadership standards, from most to least important. These standards focused specifically on diversity issues promoted through school leadership programs within the USA (American Association of School Administrators, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium). Chief school executives also completed a 12‐item survey identifying what training they received during their graduate studies to help them meet the needs of diverse student populations.FindingsRespondents ranked the three most important diversity standards that promoted the success of all school‐age children; the remaining diversity standards that focused specifically on marginalized populations were ranked as less important. The least important diversity standard was the ability and willingness to reject any arguments of a one‐to‐one correlation between race and culture or race and intelligence. Respondents indicated that their school districts do not promote culturally responsive professional development – also that their school leadership preparation programs did not prepare them for equity issues emphasized in the national standards.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that chief school executives might not have the ability or willingness to validate the cultural and ethnic experiences of the school communities they serve.Originality/valueUnderstanding the implications of responding to marginalization as an institutionalized concept is just beginning to surface in scholarship and research. The study increases awareness of the interactions among school leadership standards, cultural competence, and decision‐making practices for chief school executives and makes recommendations for practice and further research.

Data-Driven Decision Making: The Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Principals’ Practices

From the perspective of preparing school administrators, principals need to learn to use and believe infactual data when they make their administrative decisions. In alignment with the NCLB, the revisedStandards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership have more emphases placed on schooladministrators’ ability and knowledge in using data (Educational Leadership Constituent Council(ELCC), 2002; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2002). TheELCC/NCATE (2002) standards serve as school leadership preparation program standards and canbe used as a cornerstone for the professional development of existing school administrators (Murphy &Shipman, 1998; Murphy, Yff, & Shipman, 2000). DDDM is integral to the key school administrators’skills in the six leadership standards of school vision, school instruction, school organization,collaborative partnerships, moral perspective, and larger-context politics.

Educational reform in Ghana: the leadership challenge

PurposeLeadership is a key commodity in twenty‐first century organizations. This is especially true for school organizations. This paper aims to respond to six questions about head teachers and leadership of basic schools.Design/methodology/approachHead teachers responded to survey items about proficiencies required for effective leadership and those demonstrated in practice. The Greater Accra region of Ghana was the setting and head teachers constituted the sample. A survey with a unique identifier was distributed to head teachers at their schools. Analysis was conducted using SPSS and output was translated into frequencies and percentages.FindingsA premise of the research was that heads of basic schools lacked leadership proficiencies because of the absence of school leadership preparation programs. Heads of basic schools lack professional preparation in leadership, and practice management and administrative behaviors rather than leadership.Practical implicationsGhana has implemented several reforms with the intent of developing a quality education system; however, there has not been a focus on leadership. The literature is clear about the vital role head teachers have in effective schools and student achievement. This research calls attention to the leadership needs of head teachers in the Ghana education system.Originality/valueThis research reveals that Ghana faces a leadership challenge related to head teachers' professional development. The results are an alert to policy makers to institute educational reform that addresses head teachers' leadership in basic schools.

Leadership as Accountability for Learning: The Effects of School Poverty, Teacher Experience, Previous Achievement, and Principal Preparation Programs on Student Achievement

In the current era of accountability for achievement, school principals play the pivotal role of instructional leader. In a high-stakes testing environment, leadership preparation programs in universities and school districts need to be positively related to academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school leadership preparation programs and student achievement in urban settings. Because leadership is contingent on the setting, school contextual factors and their impact on student achievement framed this study. Regression techniques were employed to construct a conceptual model with predictors of criterion and norm-referenced student achievement scores. Confirming previous research findings, student poverty, teacher experience, and previous achievement were the strongest predictors and accounted for a significant amount of variance in student achievement; however, university and district preparation programs were not significant predictors. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

The Cohort Model with Graduate Student Learners: Faculty-Student Perspectives

The cohort approach, a model whereby a group of students proceeds through an academic program together, is not a new phenomenon in the field of adult learning. Maher (2004) related that this educational format has been used in higher education since the 1940s. Yerkes, Basom, Norris, and Barnett (1995) noted that the cohort concept--after lying nearly dormant for several years (p. 3)--has resurfaced in at least one specific area: school leadership preparation programs. Overall, the design is aimed at attracting adult learners aged 25 and older, many of whom are employed full time and interested in a part-time program (Maher, 2004). The purpose of this article is to aid adult educators who may be considering the implementation of a graduate-level cohort approach. The intent is not to determine the superiority or inferiority of this approach compared to the traditional model of class enrollment that varies from course to course. It is also important to note that both student contributors to this article experienced the cohort orientation for either the entirety or vast majority of their graduate education. We recognize that differences likely exist among various cohort programs in graduate education (i.e., weekday vs. weekend cohort programs) and that facilitator and student perspectives vary as well. Furthermore, we also acknowledge that our reactions to the cohort approach are simply anecdotal. Nonetheless, given the paucity in the adult education literature on this topic, it is believed that this article represents a contribution to adult learning. The Cohort Model: A Summary from the Literature Cohorts in higher education are typically defined as a group of students who begin a program of study together, share the same sequence of classes, faculty members, and instructional activities toward completion of a specific degree or certification (Merino, Muse, & Wright, 1994). Recently, this definition has expanded to include the development of collaborative projects, self-directed goals, and a network of academic and social support (Merino et al., 1994). As the model increases in popularity, interest has arisen regarding the effect of this model on students' personal and professional development. Yerkes et al. (1995) described three types of cohorts: a) closed or pure, whereby students take all coursework together in a prearranged order; b) open or mixed, whereby students take a core set of courses together and then enroll in additional coursework to fulfill their needs; and c) fluid or course-by-course, whereby students may enter the cohort at various times instead of only one point of entry. In their study of U.S. universities implementing cohort programs, they found that a quarter of the institutions used more than one type of cohort. Over 70% of institutions indicated the use of closed cohorts, while over 60% of responding universities reflected the utilization of open cohorts. The use of the cohort learning model began to be used more often during the 1980s as a response to pressure for reform of the educational system (Yerkes, Norris, Basom, & Barnett, 1994). Many institutions began to investigate the academic, social, and collegial advantages of this design. Furthermore, in an effort to foster group interactions among adult learners, institutions and organizations implemented various educational formats, including accelerated classes, collaborative learning, learning communities, and team learning. Though differences exist among these specific approaches, each of them can be used within a cohort-based model (Saltiel & Russo, 2001). Despite this renewed interest in the use of cohort models, limited systematic, empirical data exist on this model. Cohort Teaching and Learning: Our Perspectives From our experience, two themes have been noted in our instructor and student perspectives of a cohort model. First, course facilitation is different in a cohort model than a traditional approach. …

Experience-Based Leadership Training: Reflections of African-American School Leaders

A variety of innovative pedagogues focused on improving school leadership preparation programs are currently under way throughout the United States. Coupled with these fresh approaches to teaching and learning that center on exploring the professional knowledge of the practitioner, more institutions are actively recruiting school leaders who represent a range of ethnic backgrounds. The intent of the following paper is to examine the usefulness of one innovative instructional approach, an experientially-based leadership retreat, for five African-American school leaders. The stories presented in this paper attempt to link the participants’ lives and professional experiences to the leadership retreat to answer the question “What did they learn about themselves through this experience?” The emergent themes have universal value and positive implications for current and future leadership preparation programs.

Principles of Reform and Reforming Principal Training: A Theoretical Perspective

This article examines reform debates in educational administration training programs using a theoretical framework derived from Thomas Kuhn 's notion of paradigm. Most educational administration training programs in the United States are characterized as hybrid/preparadigm departments, unlikely to undertake fundamental changes. Based on an example of a collaborative school leadership preparation program, it is argued that true restructuring as called for in the American reform debates is most likely in developing or emerging settings. Based on the assumption that fundamental reconceptualization of educational administration training is necessary today, the article derives implications from the theoretical argument for means to actualize the kinds of changes depicted by reformers critical of current training.