1st Edition
Developing Expert Principals Professional Learning that Matters
Strong school leadership is critical for shaping engaging learning environments, supporting high-quality teachers and teaching, and influencing student outcomes. Developing Expert Principals offers a comprehensive research synthesis to understand the elements of high-quality programs and learning experiences that have been associated with positive outcomes ranging from principals’ preparedness and practices to staff retention and student achievement. This book also offers vivid examples of high-quality programs and examines the extent to which principals have opportunities to participate in effective learning experiences. It examines the policies that drive both the development of high-quality programs and access to them, highlighting successful examples across the country. With practical recommendations throughout, this book is a key resource for educational leaders, faculty and scholars of educational leadership, developers of leadership preparation and training, and policymakers who seek to create a learning system that will better serve principals, the staff they support, and, ultimately, all children.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Importance of Principal Learning
Chapter 2: Principal Preparation
Chapter 3: Principal Professional Development
Chapter 4: Principal Learning and School Outcomes
Chapter 5: Access to High-Quality Learning Opportunities
Chapter 6: Principal Development Policy
Chapter 7: Research and Policy Implications
References
Index
Biography
Linda Darling-Hammond is Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and President of the Learning Policy Institute, USA. She is a past President of AERA and author of Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World.
Marjorie E. Wechsler is Principal Research Manager at the Learning Policy Institute, USA, and author of Preparing Leaders for Deeper Learning.
Stephanie Levin is Research Manager at the Learning Policy Institute, USA, and author of Understanding and Addressing Principal Turnover.
Melanie Leung-Gagné is Research and Policy Associate on the Educator Quality and Equitable Resources and Access teams at the Learning Policy Institute, USA.
Steven Tozer is Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy Studies at University of Illinois, Chicago, founding Director of the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership, and founding Coordinator of the UIC Ed.D. Program in Urban Education Leadership, USA.
Ayana Kee Campoli is an Educator for the Dekalb County, Georgia, School District and former Senior Researcher for the Learning Policy Institute, USA.
"This book is a must-read primer for anyone interested in how to best cultivate and develop school leaders. With insightful guidance gathered from practicing principals across the country, readers will learn what excellent preparation programs look like and the policies to create them in their communities for a diverse set of learners."
-Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Secondary School Principals
"This book is a comprehensive and eminently readable synthesis of research about the features of high quality initial and ongoing educational leadership development programs in the US. Without doubt, it is the most authoritative source of guidance currently available to policy makers, leadership developers, and individual leaders searching for the most productive ways of improving their own practice."
-Kenneth Leithwood, author of How Leadership Influences Student Learning
"Developing Expert Principals is being published at just the right time! This book advances a research-based theory of action for principal development that is supported with powerful illustrations from a variety of high-quality programs and learning experiences in diverse settings across the US. My hope is that this book will be widely considered by those who seek to continuously improve programs for principal preparation and development as well as by those who advance policies to impact these aims."
-Shelby Cosner, Professor of Educational Organization and Leadership and Director of the Center for Urban Education Leadership at University of Illinois, Chicago.
"We know that pandemic-era demands such as increased attention to the mental health needs of students and staff and crisis management led principals to prioritize specific professional skills over others. Yet, as principals continue to lead schools through recovery, their professional learning and support are more important than ever. Developing Expert Principals shines a critical light on the elements of high-quality professional learning that can produce positive school outcomes."
-L. Earl Franks, Executive Director, National Association of Elementary School Principals
