Principles Matter for Principals: Effective Practices for Principal Professional Learning and Evaluation

• In Event: Developing School Principals: Adult Learning and Development

Abstract

This study examines an inquiry-based leadership support and evaluation process in a large urban school district. Principals concurrently participated in a novel inquiry process around problems of practice and engaged with a new rubric of a support and evaluation process. The preliminary findings indicate that principals 1) found the process useful in improving their leadership practice and 2) were ready to share their work with all principals in the district as a district wide initiative, despite concerns about the complexities of full district use of processes. This qualitative study based on activist research methodology engaged 40 principals in co-development and tracked the usability of the processes for leadership improvement through surveys, videotape analyses and a case study.

Authors

• Lynda Tredway, Institute for Educational Leadership

• Jessica Rigby, University of Washington

• Christopher Thomas, University of San Francisco