Ellen Reames

Shifting Paradigms: Redesigning a Principal Preparation Program's Curriculum.

The purpose of this paper is to describe Auburn Universitys story of developing an innovative field-based masters level principal preparation program. Our goal was to align the programs curriculum and internship experiences with state and other accrediting agency standards, current leadership preparation research, and local educational agency (LEA) partner input and support. As a faculty, we decided to model best practices throughout the redesign and approached the curriculum development project using a variety of data collection processes. What emerged was a creative Instructional Leadership Program (ILP) curriculum, involving multiple partnerships, best practices research, and an understanding that it was a living, breathing document which would change as implementation occurred and data were collected to suggest needed changes. As the program is constantly evaluated and the university revisits with LEA partners, 2008 educational leadership cohort students, other stakeholders and researchers are beginning to see richer results than originally anticipated. Similar to Murphys (2002) “New Blueprints” discussion of new educational leadership foundations, several important paradigms are emerging from the program: leadership based on school improvement and student achievement, and creating schools as socially just, democratic learning communities (Furman & Shields, 2005; Green, 1999; Smylie, Bennett, Konkol, & Fendt, 2005; Strike, 1999).

Experiencing Educational Leadership Preparation Program Redesign in Alabama One University’s Perspective

Calls for changing educational leadership preparation have led many state policy makers to initiate program redesign efforts; the governor of Alabama constituted a working group to examine the situation and develop recommendations. This article details the school leadership preparation program redesign process in Alabama from the perspective of faculty at one university. The article presents an overview of the design process, basic program tenets, and manner in which one set of university faculty engaged in this endeavor. It also presents facilitating and hindering factors, compares redesigned program with previous program, and aligns the redesigned program with best practices.

Factors influencing principals’ retirement decisions a southern US perspective

This study, conducted in one state in the United States, replicated similar research from over a decade ago to compare principal demographics and reasons for remaining or leaving the profession. Demographics have trended with the nation. Principals are older, more diverse and are largely eligible for retirement within the next five years. Similar demographics are noted in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The reasons for retiring have changed dramatically since the first survey. External mandates were the number one reason for retirement. Another reason included spending more time with their family. Around the globe, other countries are considering national initiatives, such as accountability and high-stakes testing or national curriculum standards. This study may provide a cautionary note regarding the impact on principal role and retention. Thus, while the study occurred in the United States, the policies that influenced principals’ reasons for choosing to retire or stay in the profession appear to have global implications.

The Role of the Educational Leadership Program Coordinator (PC) in University–K-12 School District Partnership Development

The researchers explored educational leadership program coordinator (PC) roles in developing university–K-12 school district partnerships. Little is known in regards to the PC’s role in educational leadership preparation programs, and there is even less evidence of the PC’s role in K-12 school district partnership development. This burden appears to have fallen in the educational leadership PC’s wheelhouse. Using the Barnett et al.’s partnership model as the framework, the researchers examined the PC’s role. Facilitating and hindering factors of sustainable partnerships were identified and investigated. Study outcomes suggested the PC is the chief collaborator in fostering K-12 school district partnerships.

Leadership Preparation Programs: Preparing Culturally Competent Educational Leaders:

The demographic profile of the United States has been rapidly changing; by 2020, minority students will constitute the majority of the public school student population nationwide. This makes cultural competence a necessity for today’s school leaders. Educational leadership preparation programs are responsible for preparing culturally competent leaders; however, few programs assess their students’ cultural competence. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, causal-comparative study was to examine whether graduates of educational leadership preparation programs had significantly different cultural competence than those beginning their respective program. The findings of this study suggest that matriculating through a principal preparation program positively correlates with educational leadership students’ overall cultural competence, cultural beliefs and motivation, and cultural knowledge. However, there appears to be no significant relationship between completing the program and students’ cultural skills.