Preparing First-Time Leaders for an Urban Public School District: An Action Research Study of a Collaborative District-University Partnership

Authors

Juanita Cleaver Simmons, University of Missouri - Columbia
Margaret Grogan, Chapman UniversityFollow
Stacy Preis, University of Missouri - Columbia
Kristin Matthews, University of Missouri - Columbia
Sheila Smith-Anderson, University of Missouri - Columbia
Betty Porter Walls, University of Missouri - Columbia
Audrey Jackson, University of Missouri - Columbia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

Abstract

This article reports the results for the first cycle of an action research study about a district-university partnership. Two district facilitators and two university facilitators co-constructed a principal preparation program for an innercity school district to help prepare the next generation of building leaders. Twenty-two students participated in the 15-month nontraditional program. The study found that in preparing first-time school leaders, the most helpful experiences were those that developed self-understanding and readiness for the role change. New instructional techniques and the full-time residency facilitated this learning. It also found that the partnership, though providing new and exciting opportunities to deviate from the traditional preparation model, needed further development.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of School Leadership, volume 17, issue 5, in 2007.

Recommended Citation

Simmons, J., Grogan, M., Preis, S., Matthews, K., Smith-Anderson, S., Walls, B. P., & Jackson, A. (2007). Preparing first-time leaders for an urban public school district: An action research study of a collaborative district/university partnership. Journal of School Leadership, 17(5), 540-569.

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

Rowman & Littlefield. Reproduced by permission of Rowman & Littlefield. All rights reserved. Please contact the publisher for permission to copy, distribute or reprint.