Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Lesa B. Widener

Abstract

This study examined the leadership practices and preparation pathways of high-impact principals in an urban school district, focusing on those leading high-poverty Title I schools. The study aimed to identify key leadership traits, transformational practices, and preparation pathways while providing recommendations for leadership development programs to support sustained school improvement. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was used. Phase 1 involved a 30-item Likert scale survey administered to high-impact principals, assessing leadership practices such as goal setting, instructional monitoring, fostering collaboration, articulating a vision, and preparation for leadership. Phase 2 included semi-structured interviews with a subset of principals to more deeply explore the trends and themes that were identified from the quantitative data as well as to harness their perspectives on the leadership traits and preparation experiences they believed to be most influential to their success. Findings revealed that high-impact principals demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to instructional leadership. They developed a collaborative culture and implemented continuous improvement cycles; however, gaps in principal preparation programs were identified, particularly in equipping leaders to manage change and sustain progress in high-poverty schools. This study provides evidence-based recommendations for leadership preparation programs and leadership development.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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