Implementing a Cross-District Principal Mentoring Program: A Human Resources Approach to Developing Midcareer Principals' Leadership Capacities

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of School Public Relations Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 162 - 192
Main Authors Della Sala, Matthew R, Klar, Hans W, Lindle, Jane Clark, Reese, Kenyae L, Knoeppel, Robert C, Campbell, Michael, Buskey, Frederick C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Rowman & Littlefield 2013
Subjects
Adult Learning
Capacity Building
Change Agents
Change Strategies
Context Effect
Cooperative Planning
Delivery Systems
Educational Change
Educational Improvement
Educational Needs
Elementary Secondary Education
Human Resources
Interviews
Leadership
Leadership Practices Inventory
Leadership Training
Mentors
Observation
Outcome Measures
Participant Satisfaction
Principals
Professional Development
Program Content
Program Descriptions
Program Design
Program Evaluation
Program Implementation
Rural Schools
School Districts
Success
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Summary:Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource initiative was intended to increase the principals' capacities to use data to lead change in their schools. The program helped the principals address their schools' improvement needs and determine their own professional learning requirements. Cross-district support was key to the success of the initiative. We conclude with practical implications for implementing similar mentoring programs.
ISSN:0741-3653