ABSTRACT There is increasing recognition in Manitoba, as in many other jurisdictions, of an impending shortage of teacher leaders to fill vacant administrative positions. Thus, an interest in finding how best to attract, support, and guide novice principals has emerged. The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges identified by selected novice elementary school principals working in an urban, western Canadian public school setting who completed their first year as a school principal, and the extent to which they believed that some form of a formal mentorship program for new principals would have assisted them in meeting these challenges. Specifically, the study addressed the following questions: (1) what key challenges (socialization, technical skills, self-awareness) did new elementary school principals identify in their first year in the position; (2) did new elementary school principals believe that a formal mentorship would be valuable in assisting them to respond effectively to some or all of these challenges; and (3 ) if new elementary school principals believe that a formal mentorship program would be of value, what would be the key elements of such a program and was there agreement among the principals on these features? Daresh’s (2002) framework, in which he categorizes the challenges encountered by novice elementary principals into three: technical, socialization, and self-awareness was, utilized in this study. Qualitative research methodology was used in this study. Participants were four elementary school principals, who in the 2006-2007 year were in their second year of appointment as principals of elementary schools. All four novice elementary principals were individually interviewed as well as participated in a focus group session. The results clearly outlined that the challenges identified could be easily organized into technical, socialization and self-awareness categories, each area clearly of importance to the novice elementary principal. The study further suggests that Daresh's formulation identifying the categories of technical skills, socialization, and self-awareness was useful in identifying ten themes that represented challenges for the Winnipeg area novice elementary principals. These themes were: (i) communication issues, (ii) the budget and staffing processes, (iii) building management, and (iv) planning (each fitting into Daresh's category of technical skills); (v) adapting to the new role of principal; (vi) brevity, variety and fragmentation of their workload; and, (vii) change and the existing school culture (Daresh's socialization category); and, (viii) recognizing one's newfound authority as principal, (ix) confidence and delegation, and (x) balance in one's professional and private lives (Daresh's category of self-awareness). The findings in this study also concluded that all of the novice elementary principals though a mentorship program would be valuable in assisting them in meeting a number of challenges. The participants in the study established and agreed that a major goal of the program was to assist new administrators in successfully filling their leadership roles in their respective schools. Some of the key agreed upon elements of a formal mentorship program included: (i) the program would be voluntary; (ii) novice principals have the opportunity to choose a mentor; (iii) protégés have an opportunity to 'opt' out of the program; and (iv) principals would be in the program for one full year. As no Winnipeg area school division currently has any formal mentorship program for novice school principals, this study recommends that school divisions in Winnipeg meet with novice administrators to discuss the merits of implementing a formal mentorship program within the existing divisions and identify what the key elements of such a program, if supported, would be. It is also recommended that Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth in consultation with the council of school Leaders continue to explore how best to prepare candidates that move into administration positions across the province, and the role that some form of formal mentorship program might play in such a process.

It has been said that the only thing constant in life is change. Whether it is a change in the seasons, in a stage of life or in one’s thinking, change is a part of the ebb and flow of living. Educational institutions are not immune from change, and indeed, should model the learning process and be the very places where practices and procedures are continuously being examined, revised, and enhanced. This qualitative study uses Michael Fullan’s Six Secrets of Change (love your employees; connect peers with purpose; capacity building prevails; learning is the work; transparency rules; and systems learn) as a filter through which to view the process of educational change. Nine school principals stratified across Early Years to Senior Years schools were interviewed to reflect on their personal experiences with facilitating educational change within their work contexts. The data collected from the interviews was collated according to each of the six secrets to discover what commonalities might exist. Each of the six secrets was discussed by presenting the supporting data and some generalizations were drawn. Data from the interviews indicated that all six secrets were evidenced in varying degrees.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the thoughts of five population groups concerning the selection and evaluation of a secondary school principal, in Indiana. The following four questions were used as a basis for the study.1. Is there a difference of opinion between what the superintendent and the school board members look for in an applicant's credentials, and the qualifications a teacher perceives as necessary for the position of principal?2. Is there a clear-cut pattern of undergraduate majors among the group of principals?3. Do the five population groups studied agree or disagree concerning what is important when evaluating a principal?4. Is there a difference of opinion regarding the principals most important function as seen by the five groups questioned?The randomly selected participants, which included students, teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members, were chosen from the eight counties in East Central Indiana as follows: Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, and Wayne.The study was conducted entirely by mail. The potential school board members, superintendents, and principals were asked to take part in the study. In addition,, principals were asked to select a teacher and a student who would be representative of the faculty and student body.At this point, pre-tested questionnaires were sent out to each of the five populations. No attempt was made to identify the individual respondents; however, the questionnaires were separated into one of five responding categories. First, answers to questions were compared within the various occupational categories to determine if a consensus of opinion existed among those persons within that group. For example, do the school board members agree on items which are important in selecting a principal. Second, the responses were compared between groups. For example, do teachers and superintendents agree or disagree on those items of importance in principal evaluation.In order that a comparison could be made, the multiple-choice answers were assigned a numerical value of one-to-four. Questions having mean scores of one were considered very important in the selection or evaluation process.All five populations participated in principal evaluation, but the student category was not asked to answer questions on principal selection. After all mean scores were figured, a composite, using all categories, was developed using the most important and least important items in principal selection as seen by all responding groups. The same procedure was used to develop a composite for principal evaluation.Items which were seen as important in the selection of a principal are given in the paragraphs which follow. Respondents rated the applicant's willingness to work with assistants and other subordinates now in the system as extremely important when selecting a principal. Also receiving a high rating was the applicant's awareness of current educational trends and ideas.Sincerity and a pleasing personality received high marks, as did an understanding of community problems. Completion of a one-year principal internship program received a 1.4 composite score, as did the applicant's ability to emphasize a total school program. A mean score of 1.5 was given to the applicant's plans and steps for improving the school.The paragraphs which follow summarize those points that are considered to be of least importance when selecting a principal.Being a native of the city was definitely not considered important in a principal's selection. In addition, two rather unrelated items, being interested in advancement beyond the principalship, and having previous experience as a coach received a low rating of (3.9). The marital status of the applicant seemed to be of little concern with a composite mean score of (3.3).Four items received equally low scores of 3.2, they are as follows: The applicant's position on the salary scale was not important. Is the applicant presently an assistant in the system? Has the applicant written articles for professional journals?Has the candidate been a member of a teacher union?Findings concerning the question of principal evaluation follow.A principal is expected to know his job and have the confidence and respect of his subordinates. He should be a self-starter who is able to complete his work with a minimum of supervision. The principal must have an interest in the student body. He is expected to have a friendly, well-informed office staff.The principal is expected to keep conversations confidential while being firm and fair in his decisions. He should have a positive attitude. Finally, he should encourage his teachers to continue educational growth beyond the minimum requirements needed for the job.Those items which were not considered of significance in evaluating a principal included: dressing in the latest styles, and holding each of the departmental budgets to the same amount as was spent the previous year.Two points were clearly important to those questioned with regard to principal selection. First, an applicant should have demonstrated his leadership ability. Second, he should have a well-rounded personality which can help in working with various groups he will meet as a school principal.No definite pattern of undergraduate major appears to have existed in this study; however, it is interesting to examine the high percentage of principals having either a social studies or physical education background.The educational leadership, skill in public relations, coordination of school activities, and reception to new ideas were all considered important in principal evaluation. Finally, all groups placed performance in meeting requirements of the job high on the list of priorities for a principal.

This study focuses on change in schools and the role played by principals as agents of change. An extensive literature study was done to determine the role of the principal. The principal cannot function without educators, parents and learners. Management tasks are some duties delegated to staff in order to develop them. The cornerstone of education change is the transformation of the curriculum, which determines the type of education South Africa needs for her people. The task of management is to provide an environment that is conducive for learning and teaching at schools. A well-functioning school is judged by performance. Classroom management is a shared responsibility between all educator and the principal. Policy provides guidelines and allows the executor to make decisions within a certain framework. Change in the context of education means that principals are exposed to new controls and regulations, growth-increasing competition, technological developments and changes in the work force. Characteristics of change can be that the principals lead, rather than instruct. The decision-making hierarchy becomes flatter and the roles played in schools become more flexible. The principals need skills in order to implement change. Principals hold the crucial position in schools. They act as a buffer, balancing the competing needs and contributions of educators with those of other stakeholders outside of the school. Change is a process, not an event. The major feature of change is to impart an increased authority to principals and gear them to democratize schools through renewal plans and collegial relationships. Principals should themselves change in order to make sense change and there rol within change. / This study focuses on change in schools and the role played by principals as agents of change. An extensive literature study was done to determine the role of the principal. The principal cannot function without educators, parents and learners. Management tasks are some duties delegated to staff in order to develop them. The cornerstone of education change is the transformation of the curriculum, which determines the type of education South Africa needs for her people. The task of management is to provide an environment that is conducive for learning and teaching at schools. A well-functioning school is judged by performance. Classroom management is a shared responsibility between all educators and the principal. Policy provides guidelines and allows the executor to make decisions within a certain framework. Change in the context of education means that principals are exposed to new controls and regulations, growth-increasing competition, technological developments and changes in the work force. Characteristics of change can be that the principals lead, rather than instruct. The decision-making hierarchy becomes flatter and the roles played in schools become more flexible. The principals need skills in order to implement change. Principals hold the crucial position in schools. They act as a buffer, balancing the competing needs and contributions of educators with those of other stakeholders outside of the school. Change is a process, not an event. The major feature of change is to impart an increased authority to principals and gear them to democratize schools through renewal plans and collegial relationships. Principals should themselves change in order to make sense change and there role within change. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

ABSTRACT There is increasing recognition in Manitoba, as in many other jurisdictions, of an impending shortage of teacher leaders to fill vacant administrative positions. Thus, an interest in finding how best to attract, support, and guide novice principals has emerged. The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges identified by selected novice elementary school principals working in an urban, western Canadian public school setting who completed their first year as a school principal, and the extent to which they believed that some form of a formal mentorship program for new principals would have assisted them in meeting these challenges. Specifically, the study addressed the following questions: (1) what key challenges (socialization, technical skills, self-awareness) did new elementary school principals identify in their first year in the position; (2) did new elementary school principals believe that a formal mentorship would be valuable in assisting them to respond effectively to some or all of these challenges; and (3 ) if new elementary school principals believe that a formal mentorship program would be of value, what would be the key elements of such a program and was there agreement among the principals on these features? Daresh’s (2002) framework, in which he categorizes the challenges encountered by novice elementary principals into three: technical, socialization, and self-awareness was, utilized in this study. Qualitative research methodology was used in this study. Participants were four elementary school principals, who in the 2006-2007 year were in their second year of appointment as principals of elementary schools. All four novice elementary principals were individually interviewed as well as participated in a focus group session. The results clearly outlined that the challenges identified could be easily organized into technical, socialization and self-awareness categories, each area clearly of importance to the novice elementary principal. The study further suggests that Daresh's formulation identifying the categories of technical skills, socialization, and self-awareness was useful in identifying ten themes that represented challenges for the Winnipeg area novice elementary principals. These themes were: (i) communication issues, (ii) the budget and staffing processes, (iii) building management, and (iv) planning (each fitting into Daresh's category of technical skills); (v) adapting to the new role of principal; (vi) brevity, variety and fragmentation of their workload; and, (vii) change and the existing school culture (Daresh's socialization category); and, (viii) recognizing one's newfound authority as principal, (ix) confidence and delegation, and (x) balance in one's professional and private lives (Daresh's category of self-awareness). The findings in this study also concluded that all of the novice elementary principals though a mentorship program would be valuable in assisting them in meeting a number of challenges. The participants in the study established and agreed that a major goal of the program was to assist new administrators in successfully filling their leadership roles in their respective schools. Some of the key agreed upon elements of a formal mentorship program included: (i) the program would be voluntary; (ii) novice principals have the opportunity to choose a mentor; (iii) protégés have an opportunity to 'opt' out of the program; and (iv) principals would be in the program for one full year. As no Winnipeg area school division currently has any formal mentorship program for novice school principals, this study recommends that school divisions in Winnipeg meet with novice administrators to discuss the merits of implementing a formal mentorship program within the existing divisions and identify what the key elements of such a program, if supported, would be. It is also recommended that Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth in consultation with the council of school Leaders continue to explore how best to prepare candidates that move into administration positions across the province, and the role that some form of formal mentorship program might play in such a process.

It has been said that the only thing constant in life is change. Whether it is a change in the seasons, in a stage of life or in one’s thinking, change is a part of the ebb and flow of living. Educational institutions are not immune from change, and indeed, should model the learning process and be the very places where practices and procedures are continuously being examined, revised, and enhanced. This qualitative study uses Michael Fullan’s Six Secrets of Change (love your employees; connect peers with purpose; capacity building prevails; learning is the work; transparency rules; and systems learn) as a filter through which to view the process of educational change. Nine school principals stratified across Early Years to Senior Years schools were interviewed to reflect on their personal experiences with facilitating educational change within their work contexts. The data collected from the interviews was collated according to each of the six secrets to discover what commonalities might exist. Each of the six secrets was discussed by presenting the supporting data and some generalizations were drawn. Data from the interviews indicated that all six secrets were evidenced in varying degrees.

This research wanted to test if the Job Characteristics Model was good to study school principals' motivation in the province of Quebec. To run the study, the Job Diagnostic Survey created by Hackman and Oldham was used to collect school principals data. To this questionnaire, a part was added to collect sociodemographic data. Using these data, one way analysis of variance was used to find out if there were significant differences between the means of school principals. / The results obtained indicate that the Job Characteristics Model is not exactly the right means to study school principals' motivation. But the analysis of variance revealed some significant differences between the means of the school principals.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction of secondary of secondary school principals in Hong Kong and the relative importance of the factors that contributed to these principals' job satisfaction. A qualitative approach was used. A Delphi process and focus group discussions were employed to generate data for analysis and interpretation. The nature and causes of the principals' job satisfaction were disclosed. Each of the focus group participants was involved in the development, implementation, and reflection of a plan of action to sustain or enhance his or her job satisfaction. / Two groups of principals were involved in the research. The first group of principals went through a Delphi process. The second group of principals participated in the focus group discussions. The data generated were analysed to produce a comprehensive view of the tasks of principals and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work they were doing. / It was recognised that the principals played multiple roles and their work was characterised by a wide variety of activities. Several major factors of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction were identified. Most of the factors identified accounted for both job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. The finding, besides giving no support to the two-factor theory of Herzberg, suggested that the principals took up their job not for bread alone. The students and teachers were the concern of the principals. The latter found their satisfaction in the people they worked with. The study succeeded in filling a gap in the research on job satisfaction of principals and had its contribution to knowledge as well as practice. / Interpretation of the combined Delphi and focus group data yielded two major factors of both job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. A principal's feeling of job satisfaction or job dissatisfaction came from the positive or negative aspects of student performance and staff attitude and professionalism. The identification of student performance as a major constituent of job satisfaction or job dissatisfaction was significant. It implied that a shift to emphasis on the students would be valuable and able to yield fruitful results. / Four cases of attempts to maintain or enhance one's affinity for and satisfaction with the job as a principal were presented. It was shown that the 'four frame model' of Bolman and Deal (1997) could be adopted to interpret the findings obtained from the reflections of the principals on action plans they followed. The Chinese culture which emphasised relationship also had a bearing on the findings obtained. Although the different principals in this study had different foci when deciding their actions, they all focused on the inter-personal or human resource aspect of leadership. Their concerns started from the students and teachers. The ultimate intention was to improve the schools where they worked. They felt satisfied when they they witnessed improvement in their areas of concern. / The study employed Western research findings and methodologies in Hong Kong school settings. The findings show that a happy blend of some Western ideas and Eastern practices was used to bring about recognisable enhancement of the principal's job satisfaction and of the quality of the educational interactions among the staff in their schools. / Based on the findings and experience developed from the study, some recommendations were offered. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Nov. 7, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-142).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1992. / Bibliography: leaves 93-100.