Leadership Development as an Essential Component of University-Based School Principal Preparation Programs: A Comparison of Programs in Kansas and Texas

School principals, in their role as leaders, play a critical part in overall school success. For this reason, leadership development must be considered as a central component of university-based principal preparation programs. With the variations in approaches to these programs throughout the United States in mind, this descriptive, qualitative study seeks to expand practical wisdom through a comparison of the leadership development components of two university-based principal preparation programs in Kansas and Texas. The study provides discussions on the challenge of transforming school principals into effective educational leaders and presents practical recommendations for future work on this critical domain.