Title

Principal Perceptions of Personal Needs and Supervisor Support Developing Instructional Leadership Skills Using the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS)

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Educational Administration

Date of Award

Fall 2018

Abstract

Principals have a complex task in leading their campus in providing a learning environment set to prepare students for academic success. The Texas standards for principal qualifications include the multiple roles expected of the principal in this leadership capacity. The new Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) is designed with these standards for the evaluation of principals using a growth model for principal improvement. This new evaluation system used the research from McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework© in developing the system. Both the standards and T-PESS emphasize the need for instructional leadership from principals. The researcher conducted this study to ascertain the perceptions of principals on instructional skill development. Two questions were asked of principals to gain insight into their needs as instructional leaders and their perception of the support provided by their supervisors. The Q methodology was used as principals took cards containing one of each of the 21 leadership responsibilities from McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework© and ranked their perceptions on a grid that showed their level of agreement or disagreement with their perceived needs and levels of support. The data were analyzed using descriptive methods to determine common patterns among the participant responses to the two questions. The study reinforces the literature on the need for coaching and support in order to develop instructional leadership skills in principals. The research indicates that there is a lack of alignment between the support provided by supervisors and the reported needs of the principals. The practical implications of this study as well as recommendations for future research are offered in the concluding chapter.

Advisor

William Holt

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Administration and Supervision

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