Program Evaluation of Effective School Leadership Practices of a District Principal Preparation Program

The purpose of this evaluative study was to determine the effectiveness of the principal preparation program of a medium-sized rural Florida school district. It examined how effective the current principal preparation program was at preparing leaders for the changing role of the school principal. The study solicited responses from current principals within the school district to help determine the overall effectiveness of the current principal preparation program. Principals evaluated how well their respective principal preparation program equipped them for their roles in relation to the Florida Principal Leadership Standards, the areas of their instructional evaluation, and overall good instructional leadership. The principals completed an anonymous online survey, and there were follow-up phone interviews with a sampling of principals to gather more in-depth responses. The results of the study were analyzed and will provide valuable feedback to the Florida school district as they look to ensure their school principals are adequately prepared for their changing roles. This information will benefit other school districts as they look to improve upon their own principal preparation programs