Active principal leadership can help sustain and scale science curriculum reform. This study illustrates how principal leadership developed in a professional learning community to support a technology-enhanced science curriculum reform funded by the National Science Foundation. Seven middle school and high school principals in one urban-fringe…

The article is a report of a study of how principals select teachers. Based on one-on-one interviews with a convenience sample of 57 principals in one state, this study examined the process they used to make teacher hiring decisions, including information they had and subsequently used in making the selection decision and how they went about…

Accountability policies imply much about high school teachers' abilities and willingness to use state assessment data to improve instruction. This study asked what teacher- and school-level variables best predict how frequently teachers use state assessment data and how much instructional benefit they derive from use of data. Research has…

Influential texts have long identified principals as being essential to school success. Accordingly, high expectations and pressures have attended the principalship and affected the professionals who occupy it. This exploration asked three interrelated questions: What pressures have urban school principals typically faced, in the past and today?…

Teachers hold the key to school reform. Professional learning communities--as well as other related strategies, including collaborative and distributive models of leadership--offer much that is promising. Yet, weaknesses documented in research require attention. We conducted a study of teachers in two elementary schools identified as exemplary…

Based on publicly available data, the study examined the relationship between adequate yearly progress status and teachers' perceptions of the quality of their professional development. The sample included responses of 5,558 teachers who completed the questionnaire in the 2005-2006 school year. Results of the statistical analysis show a…

At the heart of democratic leadership rests a deep respect for what it means to be human, the cultivation of the common good, and the need to act according to one's own direction. If democratic leadership aims to create an environment in which people are encouraged and supported in "aspiring to truths about the world" (Woods, 2005, p. xvi), then…

This study identified what attributes principals believe best exemplify a teacher leader in schools implementing the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program and what attributes they take into consideration when selecting an AVID elective teacher. After surveying more than 1,100 principals, we found that principals tended to rate…

Educators must develop effective ways of interacting and working with students of diverse backgrounds. In this 2-year study, home visits were utilized to build a stronger, more impactful learning community for all stakeholders. Participants included 2 school leaders, 1 school social worker, 9 teachers, 2 parents, and 4 elementary children. The…

This article provides a case of how changes in standards for principal certification--as required by the State Board of Educator Certification since its establishment in 1995--were meant to promote changes in principal preparation programs in the state of Texas. The examination considers whether the changes were significant in terms of intended…

"Strategy" is an ambiguous term in the field of educational leadership. This article reports on a study in which I sought to investigate how practicing school principals and the literature construct the concept. Specifically, I investigated the congruence between two sources of data: the transcribed texts of interviews with practicing principals…

As part of a larger study of two middle-grade schools, we interviewed novice teachers, their mentors, and administrators to determine their perceptions of various aspects of a multifaceted induction program. During the initial analysis, stories repeatedly surfaced about the administrator's role in the induction process. Reanalysis of the data…

Opportunity gaps are not just a phenomenon that exists among low-achieving and average students; they are a significant feature among high-performing students as well. We present a review of research-based practices that support students of color such that they achieve at high levels in middle and secondary schools. We identify five key strategies…

Some researchers suggest that grievance procedures and the arbitration process are effective tools that encourage careful decision making by school districts and administrative staff in the handling of personnel decisions (Shipley, 1974). Others contend that grievance procedures, which typically include arbitration as the final stage of the…

Perspectives of principal leadership behavior contribute to how principals and other school leaders understand the role of the principal in an era of significant educational reforms. A Q methodology was used with 30 principals, assistant principals, and other educational administrators working in a variety of roles and different types of districts…