Dr. Kevin Chick

Across the country, school districts are finding ways to recruit and maintain highly skilled and effective leaders. Most leadership preparation programs are taking place at the university level while many school districts are lacking leadership frameworks and programs to grow and provide learning opportunities and experiences for aspiring leaders. The purpose of this study is to examine how aspiring leaders who completed a leadership program provided by one Midwestern school district described their experiences and how those experiences prepared them for leadership roles. The focus of this District leadership program is to develop leadership capacity in staff throughout the district. Participants in the study included staff who aspire to become principals and/or building/district teacher leaders.

The design of the study focuses on qualitative data collection through interviews during the first semester of the 2017-2018 school year. Ten current or aspiring educational leaders from multiple locations within one suburban Midwestern school district were interviewed during this case study. During the interviews, educational leadership preparation was discussed incorporating topics such as district leadership frameworks, leadership preparation, and district supports impacting leadership.