Learning depends on your interest, level of knowledge, and understanding: Using Mixed Methods to Study Change in Principal Expertise

Though organizational theorists have long recognized the pivotal role of expertise to the work of leadership and management (Barnard, 1938), the expertise of leaders has received short shrift in school administration scholarship (Knapp, Copland, & Talbert, 2003; Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, & Wahlsrom, 2004; Levine, 2005). Yet, the many preparation and professional development programs that exist for educational administrators are testament to the belief that it is possible—and important—to foster the expertise of aspiring and practicing school principals. As criticisms of the quality of these programs increase (Levine, 2005; McCarthy, 1999; Tucker & Codding, 2002), however, so does the need to generate an empirically robust knowledge base on school leadership and management (see Goldring, Huff, Spillane, & Barnes, under review). For one, we must develop our understanding of how principals gain expertise through professional development programs.

Indeed, policymakers increasingly are holding school principals accountable for improving student achievement, and this underscores the importance of developing principals’ knowledge base and leadership practice (Barth, 1986; Leithwood & Montgomery, 1984). But how is expertise developed and what expertise do principals use? In this paper, we consider the overarching research question: Can we develop school principal expertise? Most important, we examine the efficacy of an attempt to do so by studying the effects of one school district’s professional development program for principals.

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