Developing Leadership in Others: An Examination of How Principals Learn to Foster Leadership Capacity

• In Event: Change Leadership Across Multiple Contexts

Abstract

Recent research has highlighted the positive role high school principals can play fostering the leadership capacities of teachers and other school leaders. While some research has examined teacher leaders’ perceptions of such practices, less is known about why principals distribute leadership or how they learn to develop the leadership capacities of others. In this study, we examine how six high school principals learned to develop the capacities of other leaders in their respective schools. The findings indicate that the principals’ immediate contexts and previous, transformative learning experiences informed their approaches to fostering other leaders’ capacities. The findings have significant implications for principal preparation programs, particularly as none of the principals learned to foster leadership through pre-service or in-service learning opportunities.

Authors

• Hans W. Klar, Clemson University

• Kristin Shawn Huggins, Washington State University

• Hattie Lee Hammonds, Clemson University

• Frederick Chaim Buskey, Clemson University