The role of the principal in leading schools is vital to the success of the school. Mentors play a critical role in supporting educational leadership candidates during the clinical experience at the graduate level. This qualitative embedded single case design study explores the perceptions of mentors related to support from IHEs, collaboration,…

This study of 77 aspiring leaders of a university-based principal preparation program uses results from a questionnaire to examine the perceived benefits of two types of support, mentoring and coaching, provided throughout the program. Interaction with both mentors and coaches received high ratings of value toward meeting students' needs as future…

Debriefing may be the most important factor for learning in simulations. This exploratory case study investigated a modified Plus-Delta approach to debriefings following mixed reality simulation-based learning. The findings suggested that educational leadership students who encountered debriefings from simulations developed leadership skills and…

Teacher leaders are valuable members of the school community. However, there is little existing research that explores how teacher leaders shape and enact their roles. In this article we explore how teacher leaders come to understand their role, as well as how principals and other school colleagues interact with teacher leaders and the ways in…

This quantitative study of one doctoral department at a regional, state-supported university located in the Southeastern United States used descriptive, parametric, and non-parametric methods to determine the relationships between gender and each of the academic or graduation factors. Graduation rates were analyzed for doctoral students admitted…

This study investigates the experience of the first-year implementation of an international partnership between a university in the United States and one in the Middle East. Through thematic analysis, document analysis, and participant observation as our methods, we offer a detailed description of design elements and instructional strategies used…

Education systems in the United States (US) increasingly experience disagreement over how to address cultural and societal injustices. At the heart of these debates includes the role of the rural sociocultural experience -- which in the US is based on racial and spatial isolation, the idea of whiteness as the norm, and more recently economic…

A state organization of graduate faculty teaching in educational leadership preparation programs, the Michigan Association of Professors for Educational Leadership (MAPEL), serves as the focus for this case study designed to examine its efforts to reset, repurpose and reimagine its role. Using Bolman and Deal's (2107) observations of…

Professional standards for principals include numerous provisions addressing the need to have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to promote effective special education programs. The administration of special education programs requires complex responsibilities including assurances that policies and practices are in compliance with…

Effective school leaders develop the capacity to connect with their staff, students, and educational stakeholders to form bonds of respect and trust, and to foster a sense of efficacy in their practice and the practice of others. This phenomenological investigation aims to better understand how school principals interpret the influence of their…

In a time when fewer resources force school leaders to make critical decisions, the data-driven decision-making model continues to offer promise. This research project provides observations about factors used for decision making from 14 district leaders across five Iowa school districts. Placing these factors for decision making within the…

In this day and age, when educational administrators are required to make effective progress and academic achievement for all students, educational administrator preparational programs must equip all prospective leaders with the skill sets, knowledge, and experience to lead diverse student populations to high levels of learning and academic…

When COVID-19 changed schooling in Illinois from face-to-face teaching and learning to remote teaching and learning, the transformation was sudden and swift. While there may have been premonitions and feelings of urgency about the effects of the novel coronavirus, there was little time to plan for the change that would take place and little…

The doctorate in educational leadership at XYZ University prepares leaders to make positive changes in their communities and organizations. An important aspect of the program requires students to complete a Dissertation in Practice related to a problem identified within their educational setting. Students begin work on the dissertation during…

Quality preparation of school leaders is important for school success and improved student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of principal alumni and superintendents about the quality of a university's principal preparation program in relation to the NELP Standards. Utilizing survey methodology, anonymous…