International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation
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Articles in this Issue
Perceptions of Political Literacy among Aspiring School Leaders in a Rural Mid-West University Preparation Program
Charles L. Lowery, Chetanath Gautam, Michael E. Hess
This case study investigates aspiring school leaders’ perception of political literacy in educational leadership, offering critical recommendations for principal preparation programs, policymakers, and future research. As a qualitative study, the case addresses integrating political literacy policy, developing relevant professional development opportunities, and initiating future research to gauge the possible impact of political literacy as a practice and subject. Moreover, findings reveal the challenges and strategies for implementing political literacy in school settings through the lens of experienced teachers with aspirations to be school leaders. The research suggests that a comprehensive approach emphasizing political literacy may empower aspiring school leaders, improve school-community relations, and promote an informed citizenry. This study signifies a crucial step towards cultivating politically literate school leaders equipped to foster democratic engagement and critical thinking within school communities.
Keywords: political literacy, educational leadership, principal preparation programs, school-community relations, policy development
Principal Candidates’ Leadership Growth During a Summer Residency Program
Beverly J. Irby, Rafael Lara-Alecio, Fuhui Tong, Elsa Villarreal, Matthew J. Etchells, Zihan Geng, Roya Pashmforoosh, Mikaela Spooner, and Shuo Feng
Field-based practicum experiences are essential in connecting classroom theory to the real world. In this mixed methods study, we analyzed principal candidates’ perceptions of their summer residency practicum experiences via a self-assessment principal leadership competency instrument and virtual semi-structured interviews. We found that principal candidates expressed leadership growth in the following Texas principal leadership competency areas: Strategic Operations, Human Capital, and Executive Leadership. These findings were consistent in our quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Conversely, the principal candidates stated that their greatest leadership challenges during the summer residency practicum involved providing instructional feedback and engaging in difficult conversations. The results of this study may assist principal preparation programs in revamping their curriculum to include a more meaningful residency-practicum experience.
Keywords: Principal preparation programs, principal practicum, summer practicum, principal internship, instructional leadership, educational administration
Governance and School District Leadership: Addressing Race-Based Academic Achievement Disparity and Board Member Perceptions
Christopher Dignam, James A. Gates, and Matthew A. Cooney
Public school board members are charged with the responsibility and accountability to provide governance-level advocacy for equity and excellence in public education. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of school board members in three K–8 school districts in the midwestern part of the United States regarding the 50+ year Race-Based Academic Achievement Disparity (RBAAD) in public education. Virtual one-on-one interviews, a virtual focus group, and member checks were used to gather data. Utilizing servant and moral leadership as the theoretical frameworks, the findings revealed that school board members are empowered with governance-level authority and the responsibility to address the RBAAD phenomenon, school board members encounter obstacles that challenge their ability to mitigate the RBAAD phenomenon, and school board members contend that opportunities exist to promote mitigation of the RBAAD. Implications for future research and practice are addressed.
Keywords: Achievement disparity, Board member perspectives, School board governance, Servant leadership theory, Moral leadership theory, Equal access
Transforming Sense into Cents: Evaluation of Edgenuity's Impact in a County’s Schools David R. Maddock and Daniel W. Eadens
Edgenuity is a one of a multitude of digital support tools for instruction and intervention. In 2019, a School District in the South began using Edgenuity – a digital intervention platform focused on grade and credit recovery. This current study evaluated Edgenuity to determine its effects on students learning and the associated cost. For the 2022-2023 school year, a total of 2371 students entered the platform and participated in approximately 5447 courses, and students spent a total of 177,022 hours on the platform. Quantitative methodologies were utilized to examine the effects of each current program. Data collected included individual student data including grade, school, courses attempted, overall course grade, time spent on platform, length of enrollment as well as assessment data from the Florida Reporting System for SY2023. Additional data were collected on students’ graduation measures, including credits earned over time, GPA over time, and graduation requirement status (such as concordant scores) over time. Based on the quantitative results, it appears that the utilization of Edgenuity is associated with student growth higher than standard student growth measures, even when students in the platform are scoring significantly lower than their academic peers. Students completing coursework in Edgenuity had higher growth in both ELA, d = 0.12**, and math, d = 0.12*. When considering just academic outcomes, Edgenuity has an ROI of 12%, however when adding credits earned to the measurement, the ROI is between 22% (current) and 53% (potential) depending on how many students currently in progress on their courses complete the course and pass their exam with the requisite grade. While the direct cost of Edgenuity ($49.31 per course) is very high in comparison to other digital interventions Edgenuity still provides a return on the investment made and provides the further benefit of allowing students to earn a credit and correct their path towards graduation when they otherwise would not have had the opportunity. It is recommended that schools continue the use of the Edgenuity platform.
Keywords: Edgenuity, educational leadership, program evaluation, digital support, instruction, intervention
A Comparison of Situational Leadership Framing by School Administrators: During and After Principal Preparation
James Martinez and Cameron Molidor
Traditional principal preparation programs (PPPs) that include coursework and internship opportunities are most commonly the basis by which aspiring school leaders are prepared for future work (Dickens, et al., 2021; Grissom, Jason A., et al., 2018; Kearney & Valadez, 2015; Oliver, et al., 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic provided a challenge for aspiring school administrators, regardless of their personal dispositions or form of preparation (Fernandez & Shaw, 2020; Author & Author, 2021). Using Situational Leadership as a conceptual frame (Hersey & Blanchard, 1977), the purpose of this study was to compare perceptions by school leaders, pre- versus post- principal preparation program, who rely on a particular use of framing (Bolman & Deal, 2013) to guide their professional practice. In the spring of 2023, eight school administrators in their first three years of professional service, all of whom had been enrolled in an online principal preparation program (PPP), were interviewed to compare responses that they provided during their PPP to those expressed while serving as school administrators. In addition to the interviews, the study participants completed the Principal Self-Efficacy Survey (PSES) to indicate feelings of professional confidence. Results of this investigation showed high levels of self-efficacy among participants, especially with regard to instructional leadership, as well as a general agreement among participants regarding their use of situational framing. In addition, results showed a general increase in professional maturity, pre- to post-PPP, gleaned from self-reports about relationships and tasks in the workplace.
Keywords: Situational leadership, principal preparation, self—efficacy, COVID-19
Professional Development Supporting Principals’ Changing Roles as Equity-Oriented Leaders
Carol A. Mullen and Rebecca B. Hall
In these challenging times, it is essential that principals serve as equity-oriented, antiracist, culturally competent leaders accountable for students’ performance, school improvement, and policy requirements. Many studies focus on professional development (PD) for teachers but not school leaders, thus the value of the present analysis is that principal PD is the centerpiece. This literature review/conceptual article examines quality PD that advances principals’ learning and effectiveness in the context of their changing roles associated with instructional leadership, equity, and technology. The research question was, What does the literature convey about the main influences on effective principal PD that establish the need for equity and antiracism? Sixty-eight scholarly sources were examined in addition to public documents. The authors developed a conceptual framework named Influences on Principal Development to present various factors influencing student achievement. Six findings emerged: principal PD considerations and importance; changes in principal role and reasons for PD; types and practices of PD benefitting principals; barriers to engaging in principal PD; virtual PD platforms and their value; and leveraging virtual PD to support impact. The contribution is to knowledge of the principalship regarding quality PD and the importance of developing equity-minded leaders who impact teacher effectiveness and student performance.
Keywords: equity, instructional leadership, literature review, principal professional development
Preparing Post-Pandemic, Equity-Focused Educational Leaders: Technology Requires Administrators to Reimagine Schools
Tracy Reimer and Jennifer Hill
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant transition towards online education in pre-K-12 schools, prompting school administrators to confront the disparities revealed by the remote learning model. This paper includes the findings of a multi-phase research project exploring the intersection of educational leadership, technology, and systemic inequities aimed to guide administrator preparation programs to meet relevant, post-pandemic leadership standards. Phase One of the research project, conducted early in the pandemic, highlights the findings from a survey administered to technology directors in Minnesota. The survey aimed to understand how school districts were addressing the technology disparities encountered by students and families during hybrid and distance learning models. Phase Two of the research project, conducted as the pandemic waned, focused on school leaders' evaluation of which practices developed and implemented during remote learning should be sustained. Technology directors participated in a focus group and asserted that the pandemic was an opportunity for educational leaders to reimagine schools for the success of all students. Findings call for revised administrator preparation standards, the implementation of technology plans in every state, and continued focus on identifying and addressing educational inequities.
Keywords: Online education, remote learning model, technology disparities
When Complexity and Uncertainty Became Life: Delaware School Principals Roles and Leadership Practices During COVID-19 Crisis - A Mixed Method Case Study
Shelley Rouser, Chetanath Gautam, and Charles L. Lowery
This study explores and explains crisis leadership through surveys and experiential narratives of school principals in the State of Delaware. The study focuses on the lived experiences of school principals for decision-making and responding to the impact that the pandemic (i.e., COVID-19) has had on the educational concerns of students, schools, and communities. The aim is to understand deeply what and how building leaders view their experience leading schools during the Crisis, mainly related to COVID-19. Finally, the study aims to contribute to academic literature on improving leadership practice amid the global Crisis.
Keywords: School Leadership, COVID-19, Leadership during crisis
The Impact of School Leadership on Middle School Teacher’s Multicultural Awareness and Inclusivity
Mary Boudreaux
This study investigates the perceptions of multicultural awareness and inclusivity among teachers across various urban middle schools, aiming to understand the impact of school leadership on promoting an educational environment that values diversity. Employing a quantitative analysis of survey data collected from 217 teachers in 16 schools, the research focuses on key areas: the encouragement from school leaders to teach about diverse cultures, teachers' experiences with colleagues of different races and ethnicities, comfort in discussing race, engagement with race-related topics, and the perceived support for speaking out against racism. The findings reveal significant variability in teacher perceptions across schools, with overall scores ranging from a high level of proactive engagement and support to a low level of challenges and reluctance to address race-related topics. Notably, schools with higher scores generally exhibited strong leadership commitment to diversity, suggesting a correlation between leadership practices and promoting an inclusive school culture. The study underscores the critical role of targeted professional development and the need for school policies that support open dialogue about race. It concludes that enhancing teacher comfort and engagement with multicultural topics is essential to fostering inclusive educational environments. This research contributes to the discourse on educational leadership's impact on multicultural awareness in schools, highlighting areas for further investigation and intervention.
Keywords: Multicultural Awareness, Teacher Perceptions, School Inclusivity, Leadership