Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of middle school principals. This study used the same research questions and survey instrument as Dr. Okafor-Ufondu's 2005 study to: (1) identify the most important skills required by middle school principals for the effective implementation of the Public School Accountability Act as perceived by middle school principals; (2) determine if there was a significant difference between the most important required skills perceived by the less experienced and more experienced middle school principals as they implemented the Public School Accountability Act in California; (3) determine if there was a significant difference between the most important required skills perceived by middle school principals from economically disadvantaged and noneconomically disadvantaged schools as they implemented the Public School Accountability Act in California. Methodology. The researcher used descriptive and ex post facto research. A questionnaire consisting of 42 questions was sent to the entire population of 167 public middle school principals in Orange and San Diego Counties. The questionnaire asked principals to rate each of the 42 questions on a six-point Likert scale. Ninety-nine middle school principals returned questionnaires for a 59 percent return rate. Quantitative analysis was used to report defining information. Findings. The skills under Visionary Leadership receiving the highest mean scores were empowering faculty members and students to reach high levels of performance; creating and communicating a school vision; assessing student achievement data; aligning financial, human, and material resources with the vision, mission, and goals of the school; and establishing priorities in the context of the community culture, students, and faculty needs. Conclusions. There were no significant differences in the perceptions of middle school principal demographic groupings in determining the most effective skills required to implement the Public Schools Accountability Act in California, and there were also no significant differences between the responses given by more experienced principals and less experienced principals. Recommendations. This study should be replicated at different educational levels. The resulting data should be used to help districts develop principal training, professional development, and inservice training to improve the efficiency of principals.