The Principal as Professional Development Leader

The authors provide principals with the tools needed to help teachers and staff enhance their skills and improve student learning.   

Phyllis H. Lindstrom is a leader in school improvement issues and has a strong interest in developing collaborative leadership in schools. She is an associate professor of Educational Leadership at San José State University. In addition, her long career in K–12 educa­tion includes teacher, principal, director, and assistant superinten­dent. She serves on the board of directors of Futures in Education, an alternative education secondary school district in California. Through her research with secondary schools that sustain success, she under­stands the importance of collaboration and shared leadership. The focus of her recent work has been professional development as the lever of school improvement and improved student learning. She earned an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA from United States International University, and a BA from California State University, Long Beach. Phyllis enjoys visits with her grandsons, boating, traveling and reading. She can be reached at San José State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0072 or via e-mail at plindstrom72@hot mail.com.

Marsha Speck is a leader in school reform, educational leadership and professional development issues. Her professional interests include building leadership capacity among teachers, administrators, and the community to improve schooling and achievement for all students and developing school/university partnerships that model these practices. She is currently Professor of Educational Leadership at San José State University. Marsha is the Director of the Urban High School Leadership Program, which is an innovative leadership development program linked as a partnership with regional school districts for teacher leaders and administrators to rethink the American high school and how it meets the needs of students and the community. She has diverse experiences as a teacher, high school principal, assistant superintendent of instruction, and professor, where she has worked collaboratively on school change efforts. She believes in a continued partnership linkage between the university and the school community, which is exemplified in her work. Creating school learning communities has been a central focus of her work with schools. She has published widely, including Why Can’t We Get It Right? Professional Development for Our Schools (Corwin best seller); The Essential Questions and Practices in Professional Development; The Principalship: Building a Learning Community (for Prentice Hall); and The Handbook for Implementing Year-Round Education in the High School (for the National Association for Year-Round Education). Currently, Marsha is the president of the National Association for Year-Round Education and serves on the Leadership Council of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. San José State University recognized her as a Teacher Scholar (1996–1997) in recognition of contributions toward promoting the scholarship of teaching, especially in education leadership. Her Fulbright Scholarship includes study in India, Nigeria, and Israel. She received a BA from the University of California, Davis; an MA from California State University, Stanislaus; and EdD from the University of the Pacific. Traveling, tennis, and reading are a few of Marsha’s passions when she is not working on leadership issues. She can be reached at San José State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0072 or via e-mail at mslvtennis@aol.com.