The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how school principals perceive their supervisors’ feedback in the formative principal evaluation process. It spotlights the benefits of supervisors giving effective feedback to school principals as a key component in formative evaluations. In addition, it uses a qualitative case study design situated within the context of the Al-Ain school district, which is supervised by the Abu Dhabi Education Council in the United Arab Emirates. The data was collected using several data collection methods, namely interviews, documents, and field notes. Six school principals participated in the study, and a thematic analysis of their comments and other information that they provided yielded four themes that reflected the quality of feedback they received: (1) feedback in absentia, (2) superficial or irrelevant feedback, (3) negative or judgmental feedback, and (4) constructive and individualized feedback. The evidence concludes that feedback aimed at improving the leadership practices of principals is limited, and there is no embedded professional learning dialogue wherein such feedback exists. This study adds to the body of leadership literature and sets forth implications for enhancing and redesigning feedback delivery in the formative evaluation process to improve principals’ practices and support their professional growth.
School leadership plays a central role in creating an inclusive learning environment that provides opportunities for students with disabilities to thrive. This chapter will shed light on the historical background of schools as they shifted to embrace inclusion and outline the key challenges that impeded school leadership from reaching full-bodied inclusive schools. To that end, this chapter will include an overview derived from the literature regarding the most imperative leadership practices that principals need to possess in order to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities into mainstream education: (1) demonstrating basic knowledge of special education, (2) building collaborative structures and processes to work together with students' interests at heart, and (3) embodying positive attitudes and beliefs toward special education. At the end of the chapter, the authors will provide key lessons, recommendations, and possible implications for improving leadership preparation.
This chapter examines datafication effects on educational practices. While the use of data and technology-enabled personalized learning environments increased accountability and guided educational practices and policies, it raised concerns about privacy, data quality, and potential misuse. Therefore, the reconfiguration of data use in schools involves data quality, collection, management, analysis, interpretation, visualization, integration, and literacy. Schools should make effective decisions and support student learning and educational improvement by taking a holistic and collaborative approach, involving all stakeholders and ensuring ethical and responsible use of data. The chapter makes recommendations for improving outcomes and developing a productive learning environment, including embracing a growth mindset, emphasizing student-centered decision making, fostering a culture of improvement, involving all stakeholders, using data to support learning and well-being, utilizing real-time data and feedback, leveraging technologies, and utilizing creative analysis techniques.
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