Aspiring principals' perception of the challenges of beginning principals and the support that they need

This paper presents the results of an exploratory research project about the perception of aspiring principals regarding the challenges of beginning principals and the support that they need. These aspiring principals are participants on the Leaders in Education Programme (LEP) in Singapore. According to the research findings, the LEP participants perceived that the main challenges they were likely to face if and when appointed as principals would be adapting to a new environment and role; working with staff and other stakeholders; and meeting the expectations of others while trying to live true to one's values. The support they felt they would need as beginning principals was a network of professional peers; guidance from an experienced mentor; and access to the expertise of academics and continuous professional development platforms. Interestingly, while Singapore appears to have a reputation for a focus on examination results and quality assurance measures, the participants hardly mentioned any challenges or need for support in these areas. The paper calls for a greater level of understanding and support for beginning principals in doing an increasingly demanding job in a highly complex environment.     

Laying the Groundwork for a Licensure Assessment

Licensure is a strict form of practice regulation: People must first earn a license before they may legally engage in professional practice. Typically, the last hurdle in the licensure process is the passing of an assessment of skills (responsibilities) and knowledge important for competent beginning professional practice. A content-oriented approach to validation is often applied to licensure assessments, and implementing a job analysis is a critical component in such a validation strategy. The job analysis conducted to define the content domain for the School Leaders Licensure Assessment—a licensure assessment for school principals—is described. Content experts first defined responsibilities and knowledge areas believed to be important for competent, beginning professional practice. The survey responses of 2,460 school principals confirmed these judgments. The methods and results of the job analysis are discussed.     

Beginning Principals and the Issue of Gender in Rural and Regional Areas

The lived experiences of female beginning principals is an under‐researched area in the field of educational administration. Much of the research undertaken in this area is flawed due to the assumption that male experience is the norm from which generalizations are made appropriately for all beginning principals. Androcentric bias inherent in the literature denies the reality of the beginning woman principal and the experiences of sexism often encountered when taking office. This paper reports qualitative data arising from an interview study of a small group of beginning women principals in rural and regional areas of New South Wales, Australia. The data demonstrate not only that there are distinctive issues for female school leaders, but that the conservative rural and regional context in which they work probably intensifies these issues. The paper concludes with a recommendation for further research examining the experiences of female beginning principals in a variety of social and cultural locations.     

Teachers’ practical knowledge about classroom management in multicultural classrooms

Creating a positive working atmosphere in the classroom is the first concern of many student and beginning teachers in secondary education. Teaching in multicultural classrooms provides additional challenges for these teachers. This study identified shared practical knowledge about classroom management strategies of teachers who were successful in creating a positive working atmosphere in their multicultural classrooms. Twelve teachers were selected who were regarded as successful classroom managers in Dutch multicultural classes by their principals and students. Video-stimulated interviews were used to elicit data about the practical knowledge of these teachers. The teachers were aware of the importance of providing clear rules and correcting student behaviour whenever necessary, but they also wanted to reduce potential negative influences of corrections on the classroom atmosphere. They aimed at developing positive teacher–student relationships and adjusted their teaching methods anticipating students' responses. Most teachers seemed reluctant to refer to the cultural and ethnic background of their students.     

Discriminating between Competent and Not Yet Competent Beginning Teachers: an analysis of principals’ reports

Principals’ written assessments of 50 high school teachers whom they judged competent for full registration and 32 whom they judged not yet competent and in need of an extended period of provisional registration were analysed in terms of the characteristics used to describe and determine beginning teacher competence. It was found that principals consistently refer to a narrow range of characteristics when describing competent beginning teachers and focus on an even narrower range in deciding whether or not full registration should be granted. Characteristics that describe approaches to teaching are used most often in this regard. While the majority of beginning teachers possess an adequate knowledge base in their subject area, success in the first year of school experience hinges on the ability to communicate such knowledge and concepts to students. The need for further refinement of the appraisal process, including professional development programmes for principals, is highlighted.     

Beginning teachers’ induction in Chile: the perspective of principals

This case study investigated the role of school principals in the induction of beginning teachers in Copiapó, Chile. Building upon group and individual interviews, and review of extant literature, the following findings were established: (a) principals in this study expect beginning teachers to be fully formed as classroom teachers; (b) principals were unlikely to talk about induction practices that might help beginning teachers to learn pedagogical strategies for classrooms; and (c) principals’ induction practices focused on the symbolic role that principals play as the highest authority within the school which has little practical influence on helping beginning teachers to develop their pedagogy. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Relationships and early career teacher resilience: a role for school principals

Given the current climate of high levels of teacher attrition, it is critically important that we understand what keeps early career teachers in the profession. This paper reports early findings from a project addressing the question: ‘What conditions are conducive to promoting teacher resilience and retention in the first two years of teaching?’ The research aims to identify the internal strengths and external strategies that promote resilience in early career teachers. School leaders and first year teachers from 59 schools across two states in Australia contributed to in-depth, open-ended interviews in which they talked about the experiences of beginning teaching. From this data, narrative portraits were developed and emerging themes documented and analysed. A strong emerging theme is how relationships with principals influence teachers’ feelings of personal and professional well-being, with both negative and positive effects reported. This paper uses portraits of two early career teachers to examine this theme. The findings provide important insights for principals who wish to foster resilience in early career teachers.     

Different approaches to the professional development of principals: a comparative study of New Zealand and Singapore

One of the key factors that contribute to effective management of schools is the professional development of principals. The role of the principal has become more complex with the dynamic and constant reforms in the educational environment. The present study focuses on the professional development of principals in New Zealand and Singapore. The identified categories for comparison include similarities in knowledge on leadership, models and skills that are important for aspiring principals. Differences include the selection process, programme design, modes of learning, futuristic projects and visits to other institutions. The study contributes to our understanding of key dynamics in the professional development of aspiring principals by identifying categories for comparison and discussing their relevance for analysing similarities and differences between these. The study also points to relevant interactions between professional development and the local environment.     

县域中学校长群体特征及职业发展研究——以福建省Z县为例

运用履历研究法对福建省Z县2011年至2021年的45位中学校长进行研究,在此基础上对县域中学校长的人口统计特征、学历专业特征、工作经历特征作实证分析.分析得出,男性在中学校长群体中占据绝对优势地位,其年龄结构相比过去有所增大;大部分校长的第一学历为专科,且缺乏在职提高学历的动机;多数中学校长长期在教育系统工作,但缺乏...     

The effects of professional development activities on principals’ perceived instructional leadership practices: multi-country data analysis using TALIS 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which professional development predicts principals’ instructional leadership in order to identify whether a relationship exists between the duration of principals’ participation in distinct professional development activities and their perceived practice of instructional leadership while controlling for several principal and school characteristics. The data employed in this study came from the 2013 teaching and learning international survey, which was conducted by the organisation for economic co-operation and development. Four multivariate regression models with the country-controlled dummy variable were implemented in the analysis of the data. The results indicated that the more principals take part in contemporary professional development activities such as professional networking, mentoring and research activities, the more often they engage in instructional leadership practices. However, no relationship between more traditional types of professional development activities, such as courses, conferences, and observational visits, and principals’ instructional leadership, was found. The results have substantial implications for policy-makers and practitioners worldwide, suggesting that any professional development designed to get principles involved in more instructional leadership practices should be based on the contemporary type of professional development activities.     

香港校长的专业持续发展

The quality of principals is pivotal for quality education. It is only through continuing professional development (CPD) that principals can further enhance professionalism. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the responses of 194 principals and vice-principals. The research findings show that Hong Kong principals are facing challenges posed by ever-changing school environments of the 21st century and educational reforms. Based on this study, implications for future continuing professional development of principals in Hong Kong are speculated.      

民族地区中学校长专业发展现状的差异性研究

云南是一个边疆民族大省，不同层次的中学校长专业发展水平如何将直接影响学校整体的发展水平。采用问卷与访谈的方法，从基本状况、专业发展情况两个维度对云南省民族地区、初级中学、高级中学241名校长的专业发展状况进行了调查与分析，该研究显示，云南少数民族地区中学校长专业水平有较大的层次差异性。分析和探讨这些差异性是促进边疆民族地区中小学校长专业发晨的有效路径。     

Aligning professional development,school self-evaluation and principals’ performance standards: a UAE case study

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has introduced professional development (PD) plans and professional standards for school administrators. This was initiated to galvanise the ongoing school reforms. In addition, the Irtiqaa Framework, a school self-evaluation programme that contributes to the broad agenda of school reforms and changes, is currently implemented in public schools throughout the entire Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This study explores school administrators’ experiences of the PD offered in their schools, querying how aligned they are with the school self-evaluation and principal’s performance standards. The research employed a qualitative case-study approach. Semi-structured interviews were used as tools for data collection and they were conceptualised within the framework of the administrators’ performance standards and school-self-evaluation-Irtiqaa documents provided by ADEC. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 school administrators, including principals, vice principals, and academic principals that represent six cycle-1 public schools. Findings and recommendations presented highlight the areas of improvement needed for more effective professional development that is not only in synchrony with school demands in times of change, but also in alignment with professional requirements that enhance effective school self-evaluation.     

A comparison of teacher and principal perception of an outstanding biology teacher

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the level of agreement or disagreement between principals and teachers when using established criteria to measure the effectiveness of a biology teacher. To obtain information regarding their perceptions of an outstanding biology teacher, twenty-two principals and forty-one biology teachers were chosen randomly from English-speaking high schools within a 50 km radius of metropolitan Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The measuring instrument was a modified version of Dieter's questionnaire that evolved from his doctoral study of the National Association of Biology Teachers-Outstanding Biology Teacher Award Program. The data collected from the two populations were tested using one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) or by applying normal approximation. Results indicated that both the principals and teachers agree on the relative importance of most criteria, particularly those related to the teacher's classroom behavior and academic background in biology. From such results, it was possible to construct one stereotype of the outstanding biology teacher. A number of recommendations were made from the results of the study, which were directed to the (a) teachers and their professional organization, (b) principals and the school boards, (c) teacher training institutions, and (d) researchers in teacher evaluation.     

Managing change ‐ a case study

ABSTRACT

This study describes how two reform approaches-the portfolio culture and teacher professionalism-converge in the context of a system-wide programme for the professional development of school leaders. In particular, the study reports on the use of the portfolio to assist principals, deputy principals and heads of subject departments improve their performance and account for their actions. The study found that participants used their portfolios for a range of purposes: as evidence of improvement; as an organiser; as a record of achievement; as a collection of work samples. Leaders' difficulty in adopting the portfolio for professional accountability arose from a number of tensions: between theory and practice; between public and private demands of portfolios; between the practical nature of leaders' work and the reflective nature of the portfolio; between the portfolio as product and as process; between choice and compliance. It is argued that the use of the portfolio as an accountability vehicle will depend on leaders' capacity to balance these competing demands. The study shows that, despite cultural and logistical problems, the portfolio has the potential to develop the professional knowledge and practice of school leaders.     

The Induction of School Counselors: Meeting Personal and Professional Needs

The purpose of this study was to ascertain participants’ perceptions of elements of the induction process that met novice school counselors’ personal and professional needs. Interviews of seven novice counselors and their principals over one school year were the primary data sources. Employing an abductive analysis process based on a developed typology of induction elements from the teacher induction literature, the researchers’ analysis of the data indicated that although various induction elements were discussed by participants (i.e. informal mentors, orientation, professional development, collaboration, reduced workloads, and interaction with principals), few were planned specifically for the novice counselor. Most supports for the novices were viewed with mixed results in meeting their personal and professional needs.     

Principal Leadership for Technology-enhanced Learning in Science

Reforms such as technology-enhanced instruction require principal leadership. Yet, many principals report that they need help to guide implementation of science and technology reforms. We identify strategies for helping principals provide this leadership. A two-phase design is employed. In the first phase we elicit principals’ varied ideas about the Technology-enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) curriculum materials being implemented by teachers in their schools, and in the second phase we engage principals in a leadership workshop designed based on the ideas they generated. Analysis uses an emergent coding scheme to categorize principals’ ideas, and a knowledge integration framework to capture the development of these ideas. The analysis suggests that principals frame their thinking about the implementation of TELS in terms of: principal leadership, curriculum, educational policy, teacher learning, student outcomes and financial resources. They seek to improve their own knowledge to support this reform. The principals organize their ideas around individual school goals and current political issues. Principals prefer professional development activities that engage them in reviewing curricula and student work with other principals. Based on the analysis, this study offers guidelines for creating learning opportunities that enhance principals’ leadership abilities in technology and science reform.     

Instructional Rounds as a professional learning model for systemic implementation of Assessment for Learning

The purpose of this research was to examine the implementation of a professional learning project aimed at building educators’ knowledge and skills in assessment for learning (AfL) within two school districts in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, the research examined the value of a two-tier Instructional Rounds (IR) professional learning model. This professional learning model was unique because it engaged both teachers and principals in collaboratively learning and implementing AfL strategies in order to develop systemic capacity in assessment. In total, 12 principals, 48 teachers, two superintendents and two school district assessment consultants participated in the study. Data were collected through observations of IR sessions, classroom observations, interviews, IR session reflections and a post-project survey. Findings from this study report on positive changes in teachers’ and principals’ conceptions and implementation of AfL as well as on the value and challenges of IR as a professional learning model. The paper concludes with a discussion on developing systemic capacity in AfL through an IR model of professional learning.