INFLUENCING ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP SELF-EFFICACY FOR MATHEMATICS: A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY

Building principals are uniquely positioned to drive change, however, often find themselves learning alongside teachers. Principals are key in establishing a vision for high-quality instruction and influencing teacher practice. However, professional development (PD) for principals needs to prepare and support their beliefs, knowledge, and skills as instructional leaders in subject-specific areas like mathematics. This article describes a districtwide, mathematics focused PD model to support principal development. This study examined how PD activities, designed around Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy, influenced principal self-efficacy as mathematics instructional leaders. Findings of this qualitative case study include four themes of PD activities that enhanced principal self-efficacy. Implications of this study may serve school district leaders as they support principals’ development as instructional leaders in subject-specific areas.