Ready to Lead School Improvement? Perceived Professional Development Needs of Principals in Germany

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Striving for Equity in Educational Leadership Preparation

Abstract

As a result of governance reforms, the role of principals in Germany has changed from teacher with additional administrative tasks to leader of school improvement. However, a large proportion of principals in Germany did not receive any training for management and leadership. Using a survey of 1,240 German principals, we investigated in which areas they had professional development needs and how these were related to individual and school-related factors. Despite a lack of training and in contrast to studies from other countries, principals reported only moderate professional development needs, and these were influenced only to a limited extent by their training and experience, but to a greater extent by the individual self-efficacy and the perception of teachers in their schools.

Authors

• Esther Dominique Klein, TU Dortmund University

• Jasmin Schwanenberg, University of Duisburg-Essen