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This individual case study is part of a larger group study examining how principals benefit from and shape professional capital to improve schools. Limited studies consider how the recruiting principal's individual pathway may impact who they chose to recruit. Accordingly, this qualitative study examined the factors that influence educators to become principals and how these factors influence principals' decisions to recruit other potential candidates into the principalship. This study explored the professional journeys of eight school principals from one large urban school district in Massachusetts and how their principal pathways impacted their recruitment strategies. Findings revealed that building principals often credited their collegial relationship and interactions as playing an important role in their pathway to the principalship. Another finding from this study revealed that principals recruited potential leaders with the same qualifications or characteristics as themselves through the informal recruitment practices of tapping and their narrow definition of fit. Recommendations of this study suggest that districts should develop more formal social networks that ensure all educators have access to the necessary support and pipelines to consider the principal pathway. And, principals must reflect on their own principal pathway and potential bias to disrupt the cycle of recruiting a homophilous leadership workforce. [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.]

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies districts use to retain principals in their complex roles through the framework of culturally responsive district leadership. This qualitative case study explored how district leaders in one Massachusetts school district focused on principal retention and whether their actions influenced a principal's decision to remain in their role. The study took place during a global health pandemic placing principals at the center of navigating this crisis. This study is part of a larger study that investigated how principals benefit from and shape professional capital to improve schools. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with district level leaders and principals. Findings demonstrated that there are things districts can do that positively influence principal retention, although these practices are not necessarily culturally responsive. Data supported the literature that professional development and mentoring, improved working conditions, and autonomy all positively influence principal retention. In addition, this study concluded that focusing on positive relationships and "growing your own" leadership are also key strategies to promote principal retention. Inorder to enact culturally responsive retention, recommendations include exploring whiteness in leadership and the influence of race on principal retention. Additionally. further investigation needs to be done examining the influence of higher accountability for student outcomes on principal retention. [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.]

This individual case study is part of a larger group study examining how principals benefit from and shape professional capital to improve schools. Principals play a critical role in supporting student learning, while also structuring the culture of the school and mediating external demands. Despite the importance of the school principal, principal dissatisfaction is high and retention rates are low. The job of the principal is intensifying in terms of its complexity and volume of responsibilities. While extant research on teacher social networks makes a strong connection to perceptions of self-efficacy, little research exists regarding principals. This qualitative case study explored how district leaders in one Massachusetts school district focused on principal retention and whether their actions influenced a principal's feelings of self-efficacy. This study is part of a larger study that investigated how principals benefit from and shape professional capital to improve schools. Data were gathered from fourteen semi-structured interviews with district level leaders and principals. Data supported the literature that relationships based in work and friendship with district leaders and colleagues positively influenced principal feelings of self-efficacy. Recommendations include examining the impact of top-down district reforms on principal persistence and innovation. Further investigation needs to be done examining the influence of relationships on specific antecedents of principal self-efficacy. [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.]

This individual case study is part of a larger group study examining how principals benefit from and shape professional capital to improve schools. Specifically, this study sought to understand what organizational and individual factors contributed to principals' decision-making about implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in a large, urban school district in Massachusetts. The research team interviewed a total of 21 participants, including central office leaders, principals, and educators. The study found that principals use a variety of factors to make sense of DEI policies. In particular, they were responsive to organizational changes instituted by the central office, notably the creation of an executive team to lead the district's DEI initiatives and the first ever district-wide professional development day dedicated to DEI. While most principals indicated that they believed in the work of the DEI office, there was less evidence that they were self-reflective about their role in how to implement DEI policies. Further, the data suggested that principals made few individual decisions to take action with regard to the DEI policy implementation. However, coupling organizational learning with research on policy implementation shows that self-reflection and individual learning stem from individual sense-making of organizational changes, and that these changes become cyclical and ongoing, leading to greater implementation. [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.]