272 K-12 LEADERSHIP PRACTICES
should be eliminated, restructured, reassigned or enhanced, based upon the need to shift more
daily time of the principal to delivery of instructional leadership practices.
This study replicated several issues associated with the plight of school principals
identified in the literature review. It examined how principals invest their daily time using an
action research process that engaged 149 interns and their school principals. It provided a
platform for both parties to evaluate duties and responsibilities that are expected, yet dominate
the workday and contribute little to improved student achievement. Through an analysis of the
relationship of specific work responsibilities of the principal to those identified in the research
as influential in the improvement of teaching and learning, principals and principal interns
collaborated on how to be strategic in the use of their time. It offered a process for principals
and those aspiring to the principalship a means of shifting the daily work of school leaders
away from managerial tasks toward collaborative work with teachers. Whether or not this
process produces improvements in teaching and learning is yet to be determined. A follow up
study of interns and principals trained in this process may provide answers to the following
questions:
- Can principals use a process to make significant changes to their daily work habits?
- Can changes to the roles of a principal be sustained over time and contribute to improved
teaching and learning on a school campus?
Findings of this study indicated that school leadership interns engaged their principals in a
process that recognized the breadth of roles and responsibilities of the principalship, yet
examined how to invest daily work to maximize effectiveness in meeting the demands of
school accountability and improved student learning.
Finally, an important issue for faculty of pre-service internships in the principalship is one
of outcomes of their work to improve school leadership. If principal interns are assigned to
schools where principals spend a large portion of their time in areas that have no or little
impact on improving teaching and learning, will they be able to break from tradition and use
the new tool sets they have acquired in their formal training from the university? This study
introduced a process to engage principals and their interns in action research that focused on
this important issue.
REFERENCES
Adamowski, S., Therrialut, S. B., & Cavanna, A. P. (2007). The autonomy gap: Barriers to effective school
leadership. Retrieved January 8, 2008 from, http://www.edexcellence.net/institute/publication/
publication.cfm?id=368.
Adams, J. E., & Copland, M. A. (2005, December). When learning counts: Rethinking licenses for school
leaders. Retrieved January 4, 2008 from, http://www.wallacefoundation.org/KnowledgeCenter/
KnowledgeTopics/EducationLeadership/WhenLearningCounts.htm.
Bellamy, G. T., Fulmer, C. L., Murphy, M. J., & Muth, R. (2007). Principal accomplishments: How school
leaders succeed. New York: Teachers College Press.
Blendinger, J., Ariratana, W., & Jones, L. T. (2000). Field investigation of on-the-job behavior of an elementary
school principal. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research
Association, Bowling Green, KY.
Davis, S., Darling-Hammond, L., LaPointe, M., & Meyerson, D. (2005). School leadership study: Developing
successful principals. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, Stanford Educational Leadership Institute.
Fry, B., Bottoms, G., & O’Neil, K. (2005). The school leader internship: How can we get it right? Atlanta, GA:
Southern Regional Education Board.