| The purpose of this study was to determine principals' perceptions of their expertise concerning leadership standards in the areas of (a) vision of learning, (b) culture of learning, (c) management of learning, (d) relationships of learning, (e) integrity, fairness, and ethics of learning, and (f) political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context of learning.; The sample consisted of practicing principals within the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) area who responded to an online questionnaire. A test of repeated measures revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean score of practicing elementary principals on the six scales of the instrument. Because the overall anova was significant, paired-sample t tests were conducted to determine which scales were significantly higher and which scales were significantly lower than the others. One scale, integrity, fairness, and ethics in learning, had significantly higher mean ratings than the other five subscales. Principals rated themselves significantly lower in the areas of (a) vision of learning, (b) culture of learning, (c) management of learning, and (d) relationships in learning than in the other five scales combined.; A series of independent sample t-tests were conducted to determine if the scores differed significantly by gender, ethnicity, or level of education. One-way analyses of variances were used to determine if the scores differed by age, experience, or district size.; Female principals rated themselves significantly higher in their perception of vision, culture, and integrity, fairness, and ethics of learning. Principals with Masters degrees plus additional hours rated themselves significantly higher in the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context of learning than principals with less education. Principals with sixteen or more years of experience rated themselves significantly higher in the vision of learning than principals with less experience.; The results indicate that gender, education, and experience may influence principals' perceptions of leadership standards. The most effective principals may be those who have more experience and education. The response rate was low; therefore further research needs to be conducted in order to determine if the findings of this study are consistent with principals' perceptions on a national basis. |
