In today's world, Principal Preparation Programs (PPPs) need to be innovative in helping principal candidates be more prepared to lead in changing times, but first, they must receive certification successfully. Completing the Praxis exam is the final requirement to gain certification as an instructional leader in Alabama and is often a stressful…

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify challenges faced by rural school principals, strategies to address the challenges, and how the challenges and strategies can be addressed through the implementation of the 2018 National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards and the 2015 Professional Standards for…

Rural instructional leaders require specialized training and ongoing support to effectively navigate within their local and unique contexts. A review of the literature written predominantly between 2007 and 2017 was conducted to explore effective practices in developing and supporting rural instructional leaders. Approximately 32 studies focused…

During a collegial conversation between faculty members who attended the annual fall conference of the Alabama Association of Professors of Educational Leadership, faculty members posed many questions about how the Instructional Leadership programs for which they worked compared across the state. In the winter of 2015, researchers surveyed faculty…