Principals' perceptions of their own professional development

The dramatic changes precipitated in public schools by state and federal demands for high-stakes testing have put America’s principals on the endangered list. These volatile conditions bring heightened attention to the effectiveness of principal professional development and its correlation to student achievement. Though years of research have been conducted in the area of effective professional development, few school organizations implement these practices (Guskey, 1995). This study surveyed campus principals in three Texas school districts to understand their perceptions of principal professional development in their local school districts. The primary research instrument was an online survey devoted to addressing principals’ perceptions of their own professional development within the areas of needs to facilitate school improvement, delivery methods for principal professional development, and their personal professional development experiences. Details regarding principal perceptions are presented with data gathered from the online survey. The research concluded with recommendations regarding principal professional development practices for school districts working to improve principal learning.