This study examines the perspectives of Wyoming instructional facilitators, concerning three coaching constructs--namely, their instructional leadership roles, teachers' instructional practices, and the support that they receive from principals and teachers. Findings suggest that instructional facilitators were positive about their…

Education research has established a significant relationship between collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. This study considered the relationship between emotional intelligence of elementary school principals and collective teacher efficacy as perceived by teachers' and principals' self-report. Study findings suggest that…

Researchers and theorists in the management and educational leadership fields have debated the importance of mission statements. This study investigated this issue within the context of American schools that are members of the Tri-Association (Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and the Caribbean). The results showed that about the same percentage…

The purpose of this study is to examine the independent direct effects of student and principal perceptions of academic climate on student achievement in high school. To date, few studies have considered the influence of principal perceptions of academic climate on student achievement. In the present study, we test a set of two-level hierarchical…

This comparative case (Merriam, 2009) study explored two charter school principals' engagement in instructional leadership. Analysis of three data sources--interviews, observations, and documents--revealed that principals were almost exclusively focused on state accountability and possessed limited knowledge of pedagogical practices. In…

Many school districts struggle to recruit sufficient high-quality principals for their schools. A variety of conditions contribute to this challenge, including the retirement of the baby boom cohort and diminishing interest in administrative careers due to the expanded responsibilities of school principals. In response, districts enact a range of…

Researchers, educators, and policymakers suggest the use of professional learning communities as one important approach to the improvement of teaching and learning. However, relatively little research examines the interplay of professional interactions (structural social capital) around instructional practices and key elements of professional…

Research has shown that school principals who display transformational leadership are likely to influence organizational commitment and job satisfaction (Koh, 1990), and this in turn is thought to influence student learning outcomes. Based on a sample of experienced educational leaders (n = 88), this study examined if transformational leadership…

The literature on the principalship is extensive, revealing ways in which principals can foster or impede school success. At the same time, another formal secondary school-level position, the department chair, has garnered little scholarly attention. Thus far, the literature offers a limited account of the roles that chairs should or do perform in…

Although there is a consensus that authentic leadership should be an essential component in educational leadership, no study to date has ever tried to find whether team-based simulations may promote authentic leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify whether principal trainees can develop authentic leadership through ethical decision…

This conceptual article attempts to answer the question, who should be responsible for the socialization of principals? In reaction to the criticism targeting educational leadership programs in the United States, this article discusses how individuals moving into the leadership role, educational leadership preparation programs, and school systems…

In this study, the role that racial identity plays among Latina school principals is examined through a case study of a principal in a K-3 elementary school. Based on a Latina/o critical race framework and a phenomenological research approach, the study explores the degree to which having a strong understanding of one's racial identity…

The current study builds on earlier leader succession research, focusing on a school where the "insider"--who was believed to be strong before being hired as the formal school leader--drew sharp criticism after assuming the principalship. Interviews with staff members who worked with the insider leader in her role as teacher and…

The leadership-for-learning project described in this article is supported by a grant from the Wallace Foundation and implemented through a partnership of faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and faculty at two other universities in the state, the Department of Public…

With strong connection to schoolwide policy and vision and to the realities of the daily life of teachers and students, the department chair is uniquely positioned to play an important role in advancing instructional effectiveness (Printy, 2008; Weller, 2001). This article provides an in-depth look at the efforts of three urban comprehensive high…