Preparation for the School Principalship: The United States' story

Abstract

In this paper, we trace the evolution of training programmes for educational leaders in the United States, focusing primarily on activity in the 20th century. The history of preparation is divided into four eras: The Ideological Era, 1820-1899; the Prescriptive Era, 1900-1946; The Scientific Era, 1947-1985; and the Dialectic Era, beginning around 1986. Key dimensions and central events are underscored in each time frame. Particular attention is devoted to the eras of ferment that characterize the shift from one era to another.