Principal Preparation Effectiveness: A Program Evaluation Of The University Of Mississippi\u27s Principal Preparation Programs

Since the creation of the principal\u27s position, the role of principal has evolved from building manager and disciplinarian to a multi-faceted role responsible for strategic planning, managing funds, ensuring legislative compliance, implementing reforms, and increasing student achievement. Past research contends principal leadership may be the second most influential factor in student achievement, surpassed only by the effect of the classroom teacher (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; Joyce & Showers, 2002). The role of the university Principal Preparation Program (PPP) is to equip participants with effective leadership practices to face the demands of school leadership roles (Duncan et al., 2011; Hernandez et al., 2012); however, the consensus among stakeholders is principal preparation programs have failed to keep up with the changing principal\u27s role (Reed & Kinsler, 2010; Miller, 2013; Zubnzycki, 2013). The purpose of this quantitative study is to conduct a goal free program evaluation of the University of Mississippi\u27s principal preparation programs: the Mississippi Principal Corps and the K-12 Educational Leadership Program. This study determines if a statistically significant difference in school Quality of Distribution Index (QDI) score differentials exists between the University of Mississippi educational leadership program graduates and the Mississippi Principal Corps graduates during their first, second, and third years on a leadership staff. This study also determines if a correlation exists between program admission requirements, academic performance, and standardized examination scores. Using the independent samples t test, this study found no statistically significant difference in M QDI differentials between the University of Mississippi educational leadership program graduates and Principal Corps graduates. The Pearson product-moment correlation found a statistically significant correlation between both the GRE and GRE Writing assessments and the SLLA. No other statistically significant correlations between program variables were found. The findings of this study indicate, though few correlations exist between program variables, principals from both University of Mississippi principal preparation programs are making positive impacts on student achievement in Mississippi schools

Exploration of the Relationships Between Principal Preparation Program Admission Requirements and Program Performance

Admission criteria for principal preparation programs vary from state to state and even amongst universities within the same state. Despite the recommendation nearly two decades ago to connect admission criteria to leadership standards, little research has been done to help develop such criteria. This study examined principal preparation program admissions requirements at one southern university to determine if a relationship existed between admission criteria, academic program performance, and performance on educational leadership licensure assessments. The Pearson product-moment correlation found a statistically significant correlation between, both, the GRE and GRE Writing assessments and the School Leadership Licensure Assessment for educational administrator certification

Reaching and Teaching All Students: Facilitating Restorative Circles for Community Building and Academic Success in the School Environment

The use of restorative practices to build relationships and address harm dates back more than 5,000 years. Modern practices use Restorative Circles to foster community and build relationships in a variety of settings. Schools can use Restorative Circles as a tool to foster social, emotional, and success for all members within the school community. In order to understand the power of Restorative Circles, learners in this workshop will focus on participating in diferent types of circles, circle design, and circle facilitation. Participants will become knowledgeable of the importance of Circles in building relationships and be introduced to experiential exercises for understanding the core elements and components of community building and academic circles

A Comparison of Principal Self-Efficacy and Assessment Ratings by Certified Staff: Using Multi-Rater Feedback as Part of a Statewide Principal Evaluation System

A vast body of research supports the notion that school leadership is the second most influential factor on student achievement, behind only the classroom teacher (Davis & Darling-Hammond, 2012; Lynch, 2012; Mendels & Mitgang, 2013; Miller, 2013; Pannell, Peltier-Glaze, Haynes, Davis, & Skelton, 2015). Lawmakers have begun to recognize the significance of the principal’s impact on student achievement, and while waiting on reauthorization of federal education legislation, the United States Department of Education (USDE) included a principal evaluation component in the requirements for states to waive certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. To request flexibility, states were required to develop a principal evaluation system that met certain criteria as outlined by the USDE, including the use of student outcomes as a major component of the evaluation system

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Leaders’ Cultural Competence and Academic Outcomes in Texas Public Schools

This study explored the cultural knowledge (CK) and cultural skills (CS) levels of Texas school leaders to determine if there was a relationship between cultural knowledge and cultural skill as well as between principals’ CK and CS levels and school academic outcomes. In comparing within-group scores, the results indicated CK scores were higher than CS scores in all participant groups. Between-group analysis revealed participants in non-Title I schools scored higher in CK, but Title I school leaders scored higher in CS. Results further indicated school leaders who identified as a member of a marginalized group scored higher in CS but slightly lower in CK than leaders who did not identify as a member of a marginalized group. There was a statistically significant, positive correlation between CK and CS scores; however, CK scores were negatively correlated with proficiency levels in marginalized student groups and CS scores were positively correlated with proficiency levels in marginalized student groups

Evidence-Based Leadership Preparation Program Practices: From the Perceptions of Georgia Rural School Leaders

Phenomenological analysis was used to explore Georgia rural school principals’ lived experiences of effective school leadership preparedness. Four overarching themes were found: productive/favorable leadership preparation program culture, bridge theory and practice in educational leadership preparation program, multicultural competencies for practice, and recommendations for effective principal preparation. The findings revealed that school leaders need increased experiential learning opportunities, increased assignments applicable to daily leader tasks, and increased cultural awareness and diversity training in their preparation programs. Principal preparation programs should work with school districts to provide purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable professional learning to prepare competent school leaders. Further research includes recruiting more rural school principals to share their experiences and perceptions with principal preparation program providers in an effort to advance aspiring principal training. Implications for practice include equipping aspiring principals with the knowledge and skills to lead for equity to continue to have a pipeline of effective school leaders to serve in Georgia’s traditionally underserved areas

School Leadership Assessment of Teachers’ Work-Life Balance: Perceptions and Professional Learning Needs During a Global Health Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to better understand the work-life balance of educators teaching students during the Covid-19 health pandemic. Teachers face a multitude of challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from traditional face-to-face class to online learning resulting in a cyclical phenomenon for many teachers as schools have shifted back and forth between virtual and in-person settings in response to constantly changing coronavirus messaging. The findings identified three overarching themes related to teachers’ needs including Boundaries with Time and Commitments, Mentally Processing Daily Stressors, and Healthy Lifestyle. Implications for practice denote that school leaders need to evaluate the current level of support provided to teachers and assess areas of need to provide professional learning that is purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable. Further research is encouraged to engage in additional conversations via interviews and focus groups about the challenges faced by teachers to better understand their needs during this “new normal”, which is pertinent to stabilizing the teacher workforce as schools face increasing teacher discontentment and teacher attrition, which is even more compounded during this pandemic

Rural Education Panel

Schools in rural areas and small towns face difficult challenges in serving the needs of children and public education. This panel presentation discusses how best to serve the special needs of rural youth and schools. The presentation will also share successful programs, strategies, and tools for meeting the challenges of rural education

Instructional Leadership Practices and School Leaders\u27 Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, spanning 18 school districts and 180 schools. The findings revealed that supervising and evaluating instruction and monitoring student progress were significant positive predictors of leadership self-efficacy for the entire sample of respondents whereas coordinating curriculum was only approaching significance. This pattern shifted, however, when the sample was divided between principals and assistant principals. For practical implications, educational leaders and key constituents may consider these results for reflection on practice as well as planning professional learning for skill development to attain school improvement. Recommendations for future research include expansion of the population to include participants in other locations as well as the inclusion of additional instructional leadership practices

The Effect of School Tasks on Principals\u27 and Assistant Principals’ Leadership Self-Efficacy

The pressure to lead schools effectively while fulfilling instructional leadership and school management tasks could impact school administrators’ perceptions of their leadership capabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to identify the relationship between the varied tasks of school administrators as related to their leadership self-efficacy. Data were collected from 73 school administrators to ascertain leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals based upon the completion of instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks. The major findings of the study indicated a positive, linear relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks of school administrators. The practical application of this study provides insight into the types of tasks that impact the leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals and could drive the professional learning of school administrators and the delegation of their tasks