CENTRAL OFFICE SUPPORTS FOR PRINCIPALS AS LEARNING LEADERS AND THE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

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2021-02

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School leaders play a vital role in ensuring student achievement. In fact, they are second only to classroom instruction. All too often, however, principals are immersed in administrative duties with little time or training to become true leaders of learning who can shape the success of a school. This dissertation focuses on the need for central offices to create systems and structures that support the ongoing development of principals as learning leaders. It utilizes a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative tools with a comprehensive review of relevant literature. The study is divided into two phases, a survey measuring superintendents’ and assistant superintendents’ beliefs and behaviors related to supporting the professional development of principals, and one-on-one interviews with superintendents, principals, and directors to assess the types of district office support, the impact of the support on principals’ leadership capacities and retention, and ultimately student achievement. This research produced a number of key findings, including: 1) strong relationships exist between student achievement and three beliefs and behaviors reported by districts: the quality of teaching and learning within classrooms, efforts to build trust with principals, and efforts to support principal mental health; 2) district leaders and principals acknowledge the importance of principal mentoring and believe there needs to be differentiated support for new and veteran principals; and 3) district leaders and principals place immense importance on building and maintaining high levels of trust. The results of this research conclude that in order to maximize the impact on principals as learning leaders, central offices must deliberately and thoughtfully focus on: a) prioritizing the importance of principal mentoring; b) designing systems and structures that allow for and foster principal mentoring; c) training mentors in how to coach and build trust; d) establishing supports for the mental health of principals; and e) ensuring all departments within the district are supporting the work. As a result, principal retention and student achievement will increase.

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