Learning the principal's future internal career experiences in a principal preparation program

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this article is to describe the aims, rationale and design of a principal preparation programme that draws, partially, on career stage perspectives, and to provide an assessment report of it gleaned from two cohort groups of participants. Design/methodology/approach -The programme was evaluated using two modes of inquiry: an open-ended questionnaire aimed at examining the participants' perceived benefits of every course, and a semi-structured interview with six participants intended to gain more understanding of the interpretations of the programme's unique contents. Findings -Despite some criticism, most participants found the field-based courses and those based on career-stage theories to be of much benefit to their professional development, in terms of managerial awareness and identity. In contrast, courses that centred on broad knowledge or focused, to a large extent, on theories and academic knowledge were perceived to be of lesser importance. Practical implications -It is suggested that those planning future principal preparation programmes should devise courses that handle issues of career transitions, early career stage, stress, burnout, mid-career, self-renewal and the like, to enable principal candidates to internalize the high complexity of the principal's role and the many barriers they are likely to encounter during their career cycle. Originality/value -To the best of the authors' knowledge, the paper presents an initial attempt to incorporate knowledge from the area of career development in the form of specific courses that are intended to evoke an awareness of future internal career experiences of principals.

WITHDRAWN: Reimagining the Principal

“…The principal role has been adjusted and strengthened and is more clearly defined as a position responsible for the implementation of national policy (Gunter & Thomson 2009). This together with a focus on student achievement has in general made the principal role more demanding and challenging (Oplatka 2009). They have become responsible for managing change and building organizations, while striving to improve their schools' effectiveness and enhanced student learning outcomes (Hallinger, 2003;Hargreaves & Fink, 2006, Nordin & Sundberg, 2014, Sivesind & Wahlström, 2016.…”

New School Principals’ Training Experiences and Transition to Leadership Roles in Urban Education: A Mixed-Methods Approach

“…The transformational leadership theory holds that the role of a leader is to empower followers to share personal and collective school vision, reach common goals, encourage innovation, creativity, and risk-taking, hold high-performance expectations, and foster the development and success of their followers (Allen et al, 2016;Buil et al, 2019;Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999;Northouse, 2013;Tengi et al, 2017). For example, it is conceivable that a school principal's role in improving teaching quality should focus on building teacher capacity and dedication (Kwan, 2020).…”

“…Based on the literature, the study recommends that program administrators are more intentional in including activities for principal preparation that focus on developing transformational leadership principles (Allen et al, 2016;Anderson, 2022;Bass, 1985;Buil et al, 2019;Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999;Northouse, 2013;Saad Alessa, 2021;Tengi et al, 2017) and real-life cases for transformative learning experiences that promote deep reflection, empathy, and desire to change and develop new skills (Davis & Darling-Hammond, 2012;Dodson, 2014).…”

“…Follow-up professional development programs that monitor a successful transition into leadership roles are needed to help develop technical skills and promote acclimation to the supervisory role. Such a role would require most of the novice’s attention during the first year, while other skills may need more time to develop (Oplatka, 2009).…”

Utilizing TeachLivE™ (TLE) to Build Educational Leadership Capacity: The Development and Application of Virtual Simulations

“…The role of university principal preparation programs is to ensure participants are ready to confront the difficulties of school leadership (Hess & Kelly, 2007) but it is argued that pre-service principals are not equipped with the skills to apply theoretical learning to real-life situations (Oplatka, 2009). A review of the research on the effectiveness of university-based educational leadership programs by Darling-Hammond et al (2010) identifies authentic field experience as having a high impact on the preparation of educational leaders.…”