The purpose of this study is to inform the Catholic school office of areas of need and to recommend a personal professional development plan. The focus of this closing will be on the 13 schools directly under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Savannah. The sole purpose of the deanery is to assist the bishop in the administration of the diocese.
It is important when looking at the literature to begin with an understanding of the differences in the roles and responsibilities of Catholic school leaders and their public school counterparts. Fraser and Brock (2006) discuss some of the reasons driving the retention of Catholic school principals. Both suggest that measuring principals' self-efficacy in relation to the roles and responsibilities they perform will help determine their professional needs.
This finding in the literature reflects the responses and findings of the qualitative data from this capstone. The respondents identified a real gap in the training they received and the actual requirements of the job. The literature also validated the findings of the organization regarding the professional development they received vs.
By studying the self-efficacy of principals in the Diocese of Savannah in relation to their work capacity, new insights have emerged that show the importance of planning and professional development pathways for current and future principals (McCollum & Kajs, 2009).
Diocesan Principals and Their Educational Experience
The questionnaire used for this study should be used as an initial and ongoing assessment of self-efficacy of Catholic school leaders
The survey should also be used for new hires before they start their role to best ensure professional development tailored to the needs of the manager. This leader can then be placed on a learning journey with other leaders to ensure that professional development efforts retain principals based on their professional needs being met. Rooted in andragogy, this recommendation would take into account the understanding that each person comes to the table with a different life experience that defines a learner; therefore, an approach to learning through learning activities focused on practical skills will prove to be most effective (Holter & Frabutt, 2012).
37 This approach would also be rooted in the needs of leaders and would exemplify best practice for obtaining formative data and driving prescriptive instruction rooted in data and needs assessment. The learning path would allow similar students to be grouped together to share their progress in a shared experience. A mentorship program should be established for new principals to ensure that the nine dimensions of research are addressed by a seasoned administrator.
A mentorship program should be established for new principals to ensure that the nine dimensions in the study are being addressed by a seasoned administrator
The areas of support identified during the interviews in this study include areas that are best left to the experts in the field
The use of a train-the-trainer model is not effective, and resources and support are often not shared. While there has been a transfer of knowledge and skills across the industry, the organization needs a more long-term sustainable model to ensure that efforts are more than a one-off session at a principal's meeting. Contract services will provide ongoing support with reputable services providing a network of support to current clients (Hale & Moorman, 2003).
Consider establishing a leadership development program for new principals
This will allow for more regular support and intervention, which was shared consistently throughout all 3 interviews. It will also allow for more developed advancement options based on geographic areas and resources (Cook, 2011). Having a regional superintendent will allow for a greater understanding of the school leaders' needs (Holter & Frabutt, 2012).
The Diocesan structure and model should also consider a partnership with the Atlanta Archdiocese
Committees at the Diocesan level need to be restructured
The retirement of the current Superintendent in June 2021 will also provide the landscape to bring about the necessary structural changes. While these changes are not traditional in nature for the diocese, they do reflect practices implemented in the public school environment. The importance of implementing these changes is the difference between operational vitality and stability or more of the same.
Based on the results of the qualitative research, these recommendations will be well received and will validate to the diocese that their needs are being met. Approaching these recommendations with the power of best practices rooted in the literature will provide. The purpose of this research was to measure the leadership self-efficacy of principals in the Diocese of Savannah.
Qualitative interviews were conducted to better understand respondents' perceived competencies and the factors that contributed to their success as well as roadblocks in their roles as Catholic school leaders. The more revealing aspect came through on the qualitative component that helped shed some light on experiences specifically in the public school and the levels of self-efficacy with roles and responsibilities for the job. The self-efficacy and competence lie in the call to the mission, the faith component.
The need for a commanding support network also emerged as something that would greatly alleviate frustration and help get work done more effectively and efficiently. The need for mentoring and development of leaders was also a key finding that is rooted in the literature and would help address the issue identified by the organization of recruiting and retaining leaders. The results of this study will provide the Diocese of Savannah with the support needed to assist its current leaders, prepare its future leaders, and strengthen the overall leadership infrastructure of the diocese to ensure vitality for years to come.
The formation and development of Catholic school leaders: The principal as educational leader (2nd ed., Vol. I). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/scholarly-journals/how-not-prepare-school-principals/docview se-2?accountid=14816. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from https://www.siue.edu/ierc/pdf/2003-Preparing-School-Principals-A-National-Perspective-on-Policy- and-Program-Innovations.pdf.
Catholic school principals' decision making and problem solving in times of change and uncertainty: A North American analysis. Swoboda, Karen M, "The Self-Efficacy of Elementary/Middle Level Catholic School Principals Regarding Major Roles and Responsibilities: Implications for Professional Preparation and Development".
