Effective principal leadership is the cornerstone of effective schools, as it has been shown to increase student success. In the State of Wisconsin, there is currently no requirement for ongoing professional development for principals. This study examined the impact of professional development targeted at principal leadership on student achievement and school culture. Using a mixed methods approach, results showed principals who participated in a yearlong principal cohort indicated their leadership skills improved. The qualitative data showed the participating principals believed the targeted professional development was collaborative, reflective, relevant, and actionable. This research indicates that sustained, targeted professional development is crucial for increasing principal capacity and retention. It is recommended that educational leaders in the State of Wisconsin make a professional development requirement for continued administrative licensure.
","abstract_html":"<p>Effective principal leadership is the cornerstone of effective schools, as it has been shown to increase student success. In the State of Wisconsin, there is currently no requirement for ongoing professional development for principals. This study examined the impact of professional development targeted at principal leadership on student achievement and school culture. Using a mixed methods approach, results showed principals who participated in a yearlong principal cohort indicated their leadership skills improved. The qualitative data showed the participating principals believed the targeted professional development was collaborative, reflective, relevant, and actionable. This research indicates that sustained, targeted professional development is crucial for increasing principal capacity and retention. It is recommended that educational leaders in the State of Wisconsin make a professional development requirement for continued administrative licensure. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Opahle, Anastasia M"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Beth Sagett-Flores","Renee Gugel","James Fitzpatrick"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-02-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-02-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:46Z","subjects":["principals","professional development","leadership","education","instructional leadership","school culture","Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/962","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Beth Sagett-Flores","Renee Gugel","James Fitzpatrick"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Opahle, Anastasia M"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-03-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["principals","professional development","leadership","education","instructional leadership","school culture","Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/962"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Effective principal leadership is the cornerstone of effective schools, as it has been shown to increase student success. In the State of Wisconsin, there is currently no requirement for ongoing professional development for principals. This study examined the impact of professional development targeted at principal leadership on student achievement and school culture. Using a mixed methods approach, results showed principals who participated in a yearlong principal cohort indicated their leadership skills improved. The qualitative data showed the participating principals believed the targeted professional development was collaborative, reflective, relevant, and actionable. This research indicates that sustained, targeted professional development is crucial for increasing principal capacity and retention. It is recommended that educational leaders in the State of Wisconsin make a professional development requirement for continued administrative licensure.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["THE IMPACT OF TARGETED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON PRINCIPALS’ INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND THE CULTIVATION OF POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Beth Sagett-Flores","Renee Gugel","James Fitzpatrick"],"dc:creator":["Opahle, Anastasia M"],"dc:date.available":["2026-03-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Effective principal leadership is the cornerstone of effective schools, as it has been shown to increase student success. In the State of Wisconsin, there is currently no requirement for ongoing professional development for principals. This study examined the impact of professional development targeted at principal leadership on student achievement and school culture. Using a mixed methods approach, results showed principals who participated in a yearlong principal cohort indicated their leadership skills improved. The qualitative data showed the participating principals believed the targeted professional development was collaborative, reflective, relevant, and actionable. This research indicates that sustained, targeted professional development is crucial for increasing principal capacity and retention. It is recommended that educational leaders in the State of Wisconsin make a professional development requirement for continued administrative licensure.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/962"],"dc:subject":["principals","professional development","leadership","education","instructional leadership","school culture","Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["THE IMPACT OF TARGETED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON PRINCIPALS’ INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND THE CULTIVATION OF POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:46Z"}