The development of critical skills for deputy principals is a matter which deserves attention, owing to the critical role which deputy principals are expected to play in school management. However, this area of research is neglected and has received limited attention in the literature that focuses on school leadership development. In this vein,…

In Australia, there is a national education agenda for school improvement with an increasing focus on how school leaders can fulfil this agenda. As school principals are arguably faced with increasing demands, the importance of school middle leaders is increasing. This article presents the initial findings from a larger project on middle…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how novice Assistant Principals (APs) perceived administrative professional learning experiences. Data came from twelve first-year APs in two Southeast United States public school districts during the 2017-2018 academic year. Through use of semi-structured interviews, a description of how the…

Middle school leaders are increasingly playing a crucial role in developing and maintaining the nature and quality of pupils learning experiences. However, there is often ambiguity about their role, sometimes experienced as being caught in the "crossfire" between the expectations of different levels in the schools' hierarchy. Ensuring…

This article describes findings from a single-case qualitative study of a unique 2-year professional development academy for practicing assistant principals designed and implemented in partnership between school district personnel and university educational leadership faculty members. The study was conducted based on the theoretical framework of…

This study of one mid-sized Canadian school district employed a case study approach to uncover and document the influences of organizational socialization, sensemaking, and perceptions of self-efficacy on the development of administrators' role identities. Findings describe formal and informal socialization processes experienced by administrators,…