The Middle Grades Principal: A Research Agenda.

Advocates for middle grades education suggest that principals are critical to the implementation of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and organizational structures that meet young adolescent needs. Yet, there is little evidence associating principal practices outlined by middle grades proponents to outcomes or how principals learn the knowledge and practices middle grades advocates propose. This essay explores the limited research connecting middle grades principal leadership with school and student outcomes, how middle school principals learn the practices outlined by proponents of middle grades education, and proposes a research agenda and questions about middle grades principal learning. Recently members of the American Educational Research Associations (AERA) Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER-SIG) developed a five-year agenda to guide researchers in efforts to understand and improve education for young adolescents (Mertens et al., 2016). Of the 147 distinct research questions within the eight broad areas of focus outlined in the agenda, only two questions specifically addressed the middle grades’ principal. This limited focus on the middle grades (MG) principalship is a not a new issue. Historically, there has been a paucity of research that defines effective MG principal leadership, determines whether effective MG leadership varies from general principal leadership, and delineates where and how MG principals learn to lead in the middle (Brown & Anfara, 2002; Gale & Bishop, 2014). Research on general principal leadership has clearly outlined the importance of the principal in developing organizational structures, supporting effective teaching and learning, and developing a culture conducive to learning that leads to positive student outcomes (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Robinson, Lloyed, & Rowe, 2008). Leithwood and colleagues (2004) provided a well-quoted summary of the importance of principal leadership, “Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school” (p. 5). MG advocates have long outlined the need for implementing unique practices and school structures in schools in order to meet young adolescent needs and improve student outcomes (Alexander, 1965; Eichhorn, 1966). The MG literature suggests that effective principal leadership is characterized by implementing these practices and structures (Alexander, Williams, Compton, Hines, Prescott, & Kelly, 1969; Jackson & Davis, 2000). Missing in the MG literature is a research base that supports this contention. Additionally, little is known about how principals learn the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that advocates suggest are foundational for effective MG principal leadership. The purpose of this essay is to extend the MLERSIG research agenda to more specifically address MG principal leadership and how middle grades principals learn to lead. I do so by examining the research specific to the MG principalship and propose five targeted research questions that may guide those interested in advancing our understanding of MG principal leadership. I frame this proposed research agenda within three overarching areas: connecting specific MG principal knowledge, skills, and dispositions to student outcomes, MG principal preparation, and MG principal professional development. Connecting MG Principal Leadership to Outcomes Early MG advocates such as Alexander (1965), Eichhorn (1966), Lounsbury (1984), and Vars (1965) outlined educator practices, as well as organizational structures, that met the intellectual, moral, physical, emotional, and social needs for students ages 11-14. Though limited, evidence suggested that the combination of MG practices and structures positively influenced school and student outcomes (Felner, Jackson, & Kasak, 1997; Flowers, Mertens, & Mulhull, 1999; Mertens & 1 Bickmore: The Middle Grades Principal Published by ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2016