Researchers in the field of educational administration have given little attention to the role of the associate principal. The research reported in this dissertation sought to fill that void through a close examination of the roles of the associate principals on two campuses in two different school districts. In addition to illustrating the role of the associate principal, the research examines how experience as an associate principal influences the careers of educational administrators. Data were collected primarily by means of semi-structured interviews with principals and district administrators as well as the associate principals themselves to provide multiple perspectives. Data were summarized in detailed interview logs, coded to discover the themes that were characteristic of each case, then analyzed to identify the patterns within and across the cases. The interviews were also analyzed as narratives reflecting on how experience as an associate principal can shape an educational administrator's career. The interview data were supplemented with documents relating to the associate principals, their campuses, and their districts. The results suggest that the associate principal position is a crucial step on the career ladder to a secondary principalship. Assistant principals with knowledge and skills in curriculum, instruction, and assessment are more likely to be selected as associates, and associates are more likely to be selected for principalships. The results also indicate that instructional leadership for associate principals in Texas focuses primarily on improving students' performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and on increasing participation in and performance on other standardized tests, in particular Advanced Placement, SAT (formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test), ACT (formerly American College Testing), and the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test).

Women continue to be in the minority in school administration in public schools in the United States, although the majority of teachers are female. The role of assistant principal is the gateway to school administration. The purpose of this study was to describe the essence of the transition from teaching to school administration, the role of a female assistant principal, and the career aspirations of female assistant principals. This study used a phenomenological approach to understand the essence of the transition for the participants. Six women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol to collect data on their experiences transitioning to the role of assistant principal. Using the process of horizonalization, the data were transcribed and analyzed using statements and quotes from the interviews to develop themes common to all participants. Findings revealed that these women continually seek to better themselves, others, and their organizations. They experienced a significant sense of loss as they transitioned to their new role. Lastly, the supports needed by women as they continue in their career as school administrators were uncovered.

Data shows that there is an overall dearth of Asian Americans in the role of the principalship in K-12 public schools. According to the Department of Education (2019), Asian Americans made up 5% of the national student population, but less than two percent of all K-12 public school principals identified as Asian. This mixed methods study is designed to provide insight into why there is an underrepresentation of Asian Americans in roles of the principalship in K-12 public schools. Through the theoretical framework, Asian Critical Race Theory, the aim of this dissertation study is to a) examine the factors that may hinder or encourage Asian Americans from embarking on the journey towards the principalship and b) make recommendations and observations on how to break through the existing barriers that may inhibit Asian Americans from pursuing the role. The dissertation studied 92 principals and assistant principals in K-12 public schools and utilized a quantitative methodology with a questionnaire and a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and field notes as data sources. Findings indicate that it is still difficult to be viewed as a competent, Asian American principal. Additionally, women experienced an added layer of challenges related to their gender; and first- and second-generation participants experienced greater difficulty in navigating the system. The findings hope to be the catalyst for promoting more Asian American principals in ways that their voices and stories may be heard. Moreover, this emancipatory research can serve as a liberating experience and contribute to the greater Asian American community, specifically our students. As we continue to make strides towards a more equitable and diverse society, we must prioritize our efforts to truly diversify our educational systems, which include understanding biases and breaking through the bamboo ceiling.

The purpose of this study is to identify assistant principals' self-reported levels of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming. "Special education is a federal mandate that is governed by state and local policies. For schools to provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities, school leaders must be competent in order to effectively lead these programs" (Thompson, 2017, p. 46). In Virginia, special education is the highest critical shortage category of the top ten academic disciplines identified in the annual survey and has been since the 2006 published report (Virginia Department of Education, 2020). This quantitative study, may help to identify strengths and areas for growth for assistant principals in one school division and guide professional learning experiences for administrators moving forward. The study will include a purposeful sample of school based, Pk-12 assistant principals. Participants were invited to complete a three-part electronic survey questionnaire. The survey tool, developed by the researcher, aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children Initial and Advanced Preparedness Standards (2015). Participants provided demographic information, a Likert scale rating of their perceptions of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming, when considering eighteen job related statements, and recommendations for professional learning. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and identify findings and implications. Results of the study indicated that assistant principals agree they are prepared to support all areas of special education teachers and programming with the exception of post-secondary transition planning for students with disabilities. Results also indicated that assistant principals with an endorsement in special education agreed at a higher rate that they are prepared to support special education teachers and programming. Assistant principals identified professional learning needs in the areas of post-secondary transition opportunities for students with disabilities, support in understanding and implementing new law and policy related to special education, and support in the area of development of new programs, supports and services for students with disabilities. Findings and related implications were discussed and recommendations for future research were identified. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to investigate assistant principals' self-reported preparedness to support special education teachers and programming. The study results identify responsibilities related to special education and relevant topic areas where assistant principals are prepared to support teachers and programming as well as areas where they do not agree they are prepared. The study also identifies areas where participants report they need additional professional learning opportunities, provided by the school division and outside of the school division. This study, using quantitative methodology, included a purposeful sample of school based, Pk-12 assistant principals. The research questions guiding the study were: (1) What are the self-reported perceptions of assistant principals' levels of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming? (2) What professional learning do assistant principals report that they need to increase their levels of preparedness to support special education teachers and programming? Participants were invited to complete a three-part electronic survey questionnaire. The survey tool was developed based on the Council for Exceptional Children Initial and Advanced Preparedness Standards (2015). Participants provided demographic information, a Likert scale ratings, and recommendations for professional learning. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results of the study indicated that assistant principals agree they are prepared to support all areas of special education teachers and programming with the exception of post-secondary transition planning for students with disabilities. Results also indicated that assistant principals with an endorsement in special education agreed at a higher rate that they are prepared to support special education teachers and programming. Assistant principals identified professional learning needs in the areas of post-secondary transition opportunities for students with disabilities, support in understanding and implementing new law and policy related to special education, and support in the area of development of new programs, supports and services for students with disabilities. Findings and related implications were discussed and recommendations for future research were identified.

Although, the concept of instructional leadership is a not a new idea, it has become an increasingly popular term in education in recent years. Instructional leadership provides the foundation for teaching and learning within a school. Such federal educational initiatives as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have sought to improve student achievement have also changed the landscape of school leadership. As accountability and high-stakes testing measures continue to rise, the need to closely explore and understand the ideology of instructional leadership has become more prevalent. Qualified school leaders with a keen focus on instruction must be well-prepared to lead schools and meet the needs of 21st century students. Specifically, the role of assistant principal is called upon to expand in instructional leadership to help meet ever evolving school challenges. From a historical perspective, within the literature, little attention has been given to the development, selection, training, and support of assistant principals. This has led to the increasing marginalization of this group of school leaders. The purpose of this study is to explore the shared perceptions that secondary assistant principals hold toward their development as instructional leaders given the support from their principals’ leadership actions and transformational practices. Thirty-four secondary middle and high school assistant principals’ perspectives were explored using Q methodology. Participants performed a Q sort of thirty-eight statements to examine their subjective viewpoints toward their own development as instructional leaders. Four perspectives emerged from the study, Relational & Support, Coaching & Collective Collaboration, Data-Driven & Feedback, and Professional Development & Strategic Planning. Each perspective leads to a deeper understanding aligned with the development of the assistant principal as instructional leader.

To identify how high school assistant principals in large suburban schools serve as instructional leaders and how they develop these skills, this research utilized a multiple-case study design, followed by a cross-case analysis of the data. This research explores the instructional leadership of three female comprehensive high school assistant principals who are employed in the same Northern California school district. Each case was developed with the use of interviews, observation and document analysis. Included in each case is a description of the assistant principal's instructional job responsibilities, how they develop their instructional leadership and obtain opportunities to function in instructional leadership roles. This research found several main themes. They include that the theoretical model for Hallinger's Principals Instructional Management Rating Scale did not work in regards to assistant principals, they were found to serve not in the role of leader, but more in the role of facilitator and relationship builders, the role of the assistant principal has not evolved over the past century, they are constrained by the political dynamics of their school structure which leaves them as marginalized leaders, they lack opportunities to grow as instructional leaders due to opportunities for professional development and the ambiguity of their role, and female assistant principals may not take the opportunity to serve as a leader since this may not be perceived natural due to their gender association.

Children have the by law regulated right to an equal education and they also have the right to equivalence in their education. Furthermore, it is also important that their education should lead to equity. Equal, equivalence and equity are different words used in the same context. They stand for somewhat different meanings, but they are used as an important objective of the educational system. Equivalence is a word with a wide meaning and how you define the word might impact your educational practice of equivalence somewhat differently. Although the meaning of equivalence as a concept have differed during the past decades, it is an important part of the school policies in Sweden. This means that although the School law and the Curriculum regulating the Early Childhood Education and Care regards equivalence as an important part of our children’s education, the people implementing the concept might actualize equivalence differently. The purpose of our study is to explore how four principals' and four assistant principals' reasons about their implementation of the equivalent education in preschools from eight different catchment areas. We also wish to study if there are any significant variation in the implementation strategies between the two municipalities (equable in their population) regarding an equal education for the youngest children in the educational system. In our study we used qualitative interviews with prepared questions as a method for gathering our empiric material. After transcribing the interviews, we used specific keywords to search through the material as a preparation for a content analysis of the transcribed interviews. Our theoretical basis used in our results is selected models of implementation strategies, including the aspects that may influence the process of implementation. Our result points to both similarities and variations in our respondents reasoning. We also found that different strategies are used in separate stages of the implementation process. These different strategies also use variations in the distribution of accountability within the chain of implementation participants.

Thèse de doctorat présentée en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche (Ph.D) / La santé psychologique est une composante essentielle au bon fonctionnement quotidien des individus. Celle-ci est influencée par plusieurs facteurs, dont leur emploi. Un employé possédant une bonne santé psychologique n’est pas seulement fondamental pour son propre bien-être, mais également pour les objectifs de l’organisation qui l’emploie. Effectivement, un employé qui vit beaucoup de bien-être psychologique au travail est plus satisfait de son emploi et est plus productif et efficace à la tâche. A contrario, un employé en détresse psychologique à son travail est à risque de développer plusieurs troubles psychologiques, dont la dépression, le burnout et l’anxiété, menant à plusieurs comportements indésirables et à un roulement du personnel accru. La résilience est un phénomène permettant aux employés de mieux gérer les conséquences toxiques des adversités caractéristiques du milieu organisationnel sur leur santé psychologique en protégeant leur bien-être et en limitant les impacts négatifs sur leur détresse psychologique. Les objectifs de cette thèse sont donc de rapporter les principales lacunes de la littérature scientifique au sujet des liens entre la résilience et la santé psychologique en milieu organisationnel et de proposer un modèle prédictif de la santé psychologique chez les directions et directions adjointes des établissements scolaires francophones. Le premier article est une revue de portée qui cartographie la connaissance scientifique sur les liens statistiques directs et indirects entre la résilience et deux facteurs de santé psychologique : le bien-être et la détresse psychologique. Cet article recueille les résultats d’études sur un large éventail d’emplois et de pays d’origine. Plusieurs biais et lacunes en lien avec la validité externe sont observés. La majorité des études proviennent des pays catégorisés WEIRD, étudient les emplois du secteur de la santé et sont motivées par l’arrivée d’une catastrophe telle que la pandémie au COVID-19. Le deuxième article propose un modèle prédictif du bien-être et de la détresse psychologique chez les directions et directions adjointes d’établissements ii scolaires francophones ontariennes et québécoises. Le modèle stipule que le climat de travail, la résilience et les habiletés politiques sont des inducteurs directs du bien-être et de la détresse. Le modèle proposé est également comparé à un modèle alternatif basé sur la théorie de conservation des ressources. Selon l’analyse acheminatoire, le modèle proposé représente le mieux les données et le climat de travail et la résilience prédisent statistiquement le bien-être et la détresse psychologique. La résilience est également le meilleur prédicteur de la santé psychologique. / Psychological health is an essential component for the proper daily functioning of individuals. This is influenced by several factors, including their work. An employee with good psychological health is not only fundamental for their own well-being, but also for the objectives of the organization that employs them. Indeed, an employee who experiences a lot of psychological well-being at work is more satisfied with their job and is more productive and efficient at work. Conversely, an employee in psychological distress is at risk of developing several psychological disorders, including depression, burnout, and anxiety, leading to several undesirable behaviors and increased staff turnover. Resilience is a phenomenon that allows employees to better manage the toxic consequences of the adversities characteristic of the organizational setting on their psychological health by protecting their well being and limiting the negative impacts on their psychological distress. The objectives of this thesis are therefore to report the gaps in the scientific literature on the links between resilience and psychological health in an organizational setting and to propose a predictive model of psychological health among principals and vice-principals of French-speaking schools. The first article is a scoping review that maps scientific knowledge on the direct and indirect statistical links between resilience and the two factors of psychological health: well-being and psychological distress. This article collects the results of studies on a wide range of jobs and countries of origin. Several shortcomings and biases are observed. The majority of studies come from countries categorized as WEIRD, study jobs in the health sector and are motivated by the arrival of a disaster such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The second article proposes a predictive model of well-being and psychological distress among principals and vice-principals of French-speaking schools from Ontario and Québec. The model states that work climate, resilience and political skills are direct drivers of well-being and distress. The proposed model is also compared to an alternative model based on the resource conservation theory. According to the path analysis, the proposed model best fits the data, and work climate and resilience statistically predict well-being and psychological distress. Resilience is also the best predictor of psychological health.