Professional development needs identified by principals in selected Bexas County, Texas public school districts /
The central purpose of this study was to identify the professional development needs identified by principals in selected Bexar County, Texas public school districts. A second purpose was to extend the knowledge about the professional development training of experienced public school principals and...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1999.
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| Summary: | The central purpose of this study was to identify the professional development needs identified by principals in selected Bexar County, Texas public school districts. A second purpose was to extend the knowledge about the professional development training of experienced public school principals and how school districts are upgrading the skills of practicing principals. The data were collected through the Professional Needs of Principals Survey Instrument that was designed, piloted, and validated by the Texas A&M University Principal's Center. The survey instrument was sent to 151 principals employed in three selected school districts in Bexar County, Texas during the 1997-1998 school year. Of the 151 principals in the population, 109 returned the survey instrument that included response items related to instructional, communication, and organizational issues. Additional data were collected through interviews conducted by the researcher with 13 respondents from the initial survey. Major conclusions of the study were: 1. The patterns of principals' responses to the professional development needs survey did not vary significantly according to the demographic characteristics of the principals and their campus assignments. 2. Over half of the principals at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels identified one of their top professional development priority needs to be the active involvement of students in their own learning. 3. Two-thirds of the principals at all three campus levels identified a professional development need to be that of establishing the campus as a learning community for all. 4. Elementary and middle school principals were more likely to select curriculum alignment as a professional development need than high school principals. 5. The majority of middle school and high school principals identified the establishment of a caring school climate as a professional development need. 6. Interviews with principals revealed their need to become actively involved in the planning and delivery of their professional development, to continue their participation in technology training and principal study groups, and to participate in training that is relevant, timely, and ongoing throughout their career. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Educational Administration". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 216 leaves ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-189). |