This qualitative study of ten elementary veteran teachers used Hargrove's single, double, and triple-loop thinking to understand their perceptions regarding knowledge new principals need to be social justice leaders working in impoverished schools. Findings in three categories revealed the importance of principals learning to identify their…

With all of the pressures placed on public schools today including competition from school choice, charter schools, and vouchers, as well as achievement gaps, state testing, sanctions, growing negative press, changing demographics, social demands placed on schools, etc., one might wonder why anyone would choose school leadership as a career.…

For decades, school district offices, superintendents and school boards have been cast as "villains" in the drama of school reform and raising student achievement. This article presents research encompassing a different view of district leadership as the possible "hero" in these efforts. Recent studies by Harvard University (2007), Springboard…

This study investigated the interactive effects of supervising principals' and preservice principals' leadership styles on preservice principals' pre and post internship concerns about becoming a principal. These findings suggest that the principal's leadership style is an influential determinant of preservice principals' concerns about becoming a…

"Conversations With Principals: Issues, Values, and Politics," is a unique compilation of interviews with principals at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. This book allows the readers the unusual opportunity to experience the inner voice of principals as they discuss the many decisions they make and the multitude of people they must…

The purpose of this study was to validate the instrument, Administrator Dispositions Index (ADI), that measures the dispositions of effective school leaders. The ADI could be used to assess administrator candidate dispositions and to integrate dispositions of effective school leaders into the curricula of administrator preparation programs.…

This article addresses the failure of sustainability of reform efforts in public school systems by reconceptualizing the perplexing notion of sustainability through a case study to discern the skill sets needed of principals to sustain reforms in urban settings. This study draws on perceptual data gathered from principals in 36 schools in one…

This paper recounts one instructor's importing action research into teaching to improve a Tier II Professional Administrative Services Credential program at a public university in California. The state and local context is described, why and how the action research was conducted, and the lessons that emerged about what advanced students need,…

The 10 articles in this 1997 issue cover a wide range of research. Each of the articles addresses one of the seven questions: "What do we know about leadership capacity and how is it built?""How do we work with those enrolled in leadership preparation programs to enable these future leaders to build leadership capacity in schools?""How do we…