As school funding has been increasingly linked to the use of mandated testing, leading under sanction or threat of sanction is a new phenomenon for many principals or directors in public schools. Determining the skills necessary and the attributes required to do so successfully has become increasingly vital to align training and preparation that will carry school leaders into the next decades. Increasing student achievement while empowering and inspiring all stakeholders to continue to focus energy and resources while publicly identified as under-performing will require a combination of understandings for leaders. This study examines the approaches of school leaders to this phenomenon. This study and analysis informs school leadership preparation programs, state level agencies and practitioners and suggests means by which to address and inform those who lead schools.

Julia Williams, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She teaches courses in Assessment and Continuous Improvement in undergraduate and graduate programs and works with assessment campus-wide.