ABSTRACT The job of principals in the 21st century is to find the future and take their people to it,
which will require them to keep an eye on the big picture of life to relentlessly ask, ―For
what kind of life are we preparing our students?” (Synder, Acker-Hocevar, & Synder,
2008).
The purpose of this study was to examine principal leadership and the skill demands in a
global context. This dissertation presents factors such as the failure of urban education,
the impact of globalization on education, and the influence of changing demographics on
education, as reasons why urban high school principals need to acquire new leadership
skills. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that there are skills, professional
development opportunities, and time priorities that urban high school principals can
acquire and be involved in that will enable them to redesign schools that will prepare
students to compete in a global context. This study utilized both inductive and deductive
qualitative analysis approaches in determining the skills needed by urban high school
principals.
The study found eight significant skills needed by urban high school principals and four
characteristics and attributes. Additionally, the study found that most urban high schools
principals do not receive the training necessary to prepare students to compete in a global
context. However, the study revealed five significant findings regarding training needed
by urban high school principals. Finally, the study found that the urban high school
principals identified in this study are actively and knowledgeably demonstrating skills
designed to extend learning into a global context.