This qualitative study sought to identify current principal professional development practices in four school systems in Georgia and to examine them by applying the principles of adult learning theory. The cross-case analysis of principal professional development initiatives in four school districts revealed nine common practices: connecting professional development to career development; individualizing professional development; engaging multiple sources of professional development; adapting, not adopting, externally provided professional development; aligning and focusing professional development; ensuring ongoing scheduled professional development; encouraging mentoring relations; providing data-informed and job-embedded professional development; and strategic planning of principal professional development. Although these practices possessed certain characteristics of adult learning -they were problem centered, relevancy oriented, and goal oriented -they were, however, rarely self-directed. By examining current principal professional development practices through the lens of adult learning theory, these findings contribute new knowledge about current principal professional development and offer implications for the use of adult learning theory in planning and providing principal professional learning.

In this analysis of 58 empirical studies of high school block scheduling, the authors report findings in and across five groupings. Within groups, data were inconsistent regarding whether teachers' practices changed, but teachers believed that staff development was necessary to teach in a block schedule. Block scheduling appeared to increase student grade point averages and improve school climate, but the results regarding its effects on standardized test scores and attendance were inconsistent. Across studies, the findings indicated that (a) research studies omit key information; (b) teachers and students may view block scheduling positively (but their reasons are unknown); and (c) changes in teachers' practices are inconsistent. Many studies reported data that were collected over short periods of time. The authors of this analysis offer generalizations about block scheduling research, recommendations for further research, and a discussion of implementation issues. KEYWORDS: block scheduling, high school reform, high school scheduling patterns.As the accountability bar rises, schools continue to explore avenues for increasing student achievement, and school leaders have examined new teaching methods, emerging technologies, and alternate scheduling patterns to improve the teaching and learning processes. The National Education Commission on Time and Learning (1994) described the traditional 6-hour schedule as the "unacknowledged design flaw in American education" (p. 2). Block scheduling emerged as a way to modify the traditional 6-hour day for high school students.Although there are variations, block schedules include the 4 × 4, in which the school day is divided into four roughly equivalent blocks of time, usually 80 to 90 minutes each. Following a university model, students in a 4 × 4 schedule begin new courses twice a year. Another variation is the trimester schedule, in which the year is divided into three terms instead of two as in the 4 × 4 block schedule. In the alternating block, also called the A/B block, students meet every other day throughout the school year and typically enroll in six to eight classes, each lasting between 70 and 90 minutes.The Copernican Plan has two main configurations, each combining block periods of differing lengths during the day. In the first configuration, students enroll in one 4-hour macro-class each day (typically a core course such as algebra or English) and then in two or three shorter classes lasting between 70 and 90 minutes each. Approximately every 30 days, students receive a new schedule. In the second configuration of the Copernican Plan, students enroll in two classes lasting approximately

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine principal succession planning and management by analyzing current practices of handling school leader succession in four Georgia school systems.Design/methodology/approachLooking through the lens of organizational leadership succession theory, the practices of school systems as they experienced changes in school leadership were examined. Participants included superintendents, assistant superintendents, other central office leaders, and principals. A multiple‐case approach was selected with semi‐structured interviews providing the major source of data.FindingsFindings suggest the following: there is a difference in the sense of urgency for the planning and management of the succession of principals; the development of aspiring leaders was identified as a critical component of planning and management of succession; mentoring was an essential practice through the succession process; and reliance on collaborative partnerships with outside organizations was highly valued.Practical implicationsThe implications of the study include a call for further research to determine the differences in leader succession planning and management needs related to the varying contexts. In addition, the study implies that building collaborative partnerships with university preparation programs and other external professional development organizations may assist systems in the planning and management of principal succession.Originality/valueThe originality of this study stems from the lack of literature that directly examines the experiences and practices of principal succession. The findings can inform school system leaders of succession planning and management issues and practices that exist in the four systems studied. As leadership becomes more recognized for its impact on student achievement and school performance, it is imperative that succession is managed and planned to ensure sustainability and effectiveness.

A case study approach was used to examine the perspectives of three high school department chairs and their work at providing instructional supervision to the teachers in their departments: math, science, and social studies. We sought to discover the beliefs and practices of three department chairs in one high school, located in a southeastern state. From interview data, three primary findings emerged: 1) The high school department chairs experienced role conflict and ambiguity relative to providing instructional supervision; 2) The meaning of instructional supervision for the department chairs was intuitive and reflected in differentiated approaches; and 3) The constraints of instructional supervision include time and lack of emphasis. The findings indicate that the department chairs were not prepared for the practice of instructional supervision in that the participants received little instruction to enact the role of instructional supervisor, and the participants were compelled to create their own roles given the lack of direction by the principal. The participants indicated instructional supervision was not a "priority" of either system or local school administrators. The participants did evidence some important knowledge concerning instructional supervision, albeit intuitively concluded rather than formally learned.

The importance of effective school leadership is well known. The inevitable changing of school leaders raises concerns over the successfulness of the succession process. Directly linked to leader succession is socialization; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the processes and practices of school systems that control the organizational socialization of school principals as they succeed into the principalship. Using a multiple-case study approach, this qualitative inquiry examined the practices of four US school systems regarding the socialization of principals. The study, framed by organizational socialization theory, found a custodial response to socialization supported by collective, formal, serial, and investiture tactics. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of what system leaders and policy-makers might consider in supporting the socialization process of new principals.