Systematized Professional Leader and Leadership Development: An Exploration of Practices That Influence Leadership Capacity and Cultivate School Principals' Organizational Commitment

Title 1 principals face many day-to-day challenges due to the complexity and demands of their jobs. Research has found (Levin et al., 2019) that principals valued professional development (PD) more if it allowed them to address their school's specific needs and circumstances and increase their leadership capacity. This research aims to explore the systemic professional development opportunities offered by Washington, DC Public Schools (DCPS) for high-performing principals who stayed at their schools longer than the national average of four years. This study examines how professional development supports principals' achievement of mandated school goals and self-identified leader goals. Additionally, the study investigates how DCPS's PD offerings influenced school principals' commitment to remain with the district. Interviews were conducted with principals employed by DCPS, between three and twenty years, and engaged in the district's PD offerings to learn about their experiences with district-offered PD. The literature review focuses on leader development, leadership development, principal turnover and retention, PD, and organizational commitment. The findings reveal that school principal development could be an effective retention tool that engages and enhances employees' leadership ability and their ability to lead effectively. As a result, principals' loyalty to their school district is influenced by their perception of the level of commitment and support they receive from district agents toward their development and attaining district-mandated leadership goals and their self-identified leadership goals. According to the research, school principals demonstrate organizational commitment through normative, continuous, and affective behaviors. Their affective commitment to the district will be further influenced by the district leadership's continuous use of a human-centered leadership approach to assist school principals in achieving their mandated leadership goals. Suppose district leaders adopt concepts from adult learning theory and human resource management practices to create a supportive workplace for school leaders. In that case, this could have an even more significant impact on their affective commitment to the school district. Moreover, district leaders could offer differentiated PD opportunities aligned with principals' self-identified leadership goals as part of their PD plan. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]