ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the book’s main concepts and research basis. A substantial body of research suggests that strong school leadership is critical for shaping productive learning environments, supporting high-quality teachers and teaching, and influencing student outcomes. In 2007, Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons From Exemplary Leadership Development Programs showed that effective principal preparation and development programs could transform principals’ practice and increase their success by recruiting dynamic, instructionally focused educators; developing and applying strong knowledge of instructional leadership, organizational development, and change-management practices; and offering coaching, feedback, and opportunities for reflection in purposeful communities of practice. Since then, knowledge about principal learning opportunities and major changes in principal learning policies has grown. This book reviews the more recent research literature to understand the elements of high-quality learning programs, examines the extent to which principals have opportunities to participate in learning experiences with those elements, and discusses the policies that drive both the development of high-quality programs and access to them. The theory of action guiding the research focuses on how leaders’ lived experiences, preparation and professional development, and professional pathways influence their knowledge, skills, and behaviors, and ultimately teacher and student outcomes.
