Extending Knowledge on the Preparation and Development of Educational Leaders

Stemming from the growing need to strengthen educational leader preparation and development, which has in turn escalated the importance of knowledge to advance educational leadership preparation and development, this Special Issue provides a collection of 13 articles that speak to and extend prior work on the preparation and development of educational leaders. In the following article, we take up the task of introducing these 13 articles by grouping them into five relevant themes that correspond to preparation/development program features (e.g., recruitment and selection, curriculum and coursework, instruction, clinical experience, partnerships) and placing them in conversation with two influential works from the US that have examined educational leadership preparation and development during the last decade. Findings from this Special Issue make important knowledge contributions that will prove vital to educational leadership program faculty, school districts, and a wide assortment of state and national policy, development, and philanthropic organizations that influence and support principal preparation and development efforts.