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Abstract
In the 21st century, the responsibilities of principals have increased. With numerous competing interests for principals’ attention, principals have less time to focus on growing their instructional leadership capacity. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the instructional leadership needs of secondary principals to enhance district support structures to help principals positively impact instruction and improve student outcomes. Three key findings from this study emerged: 1) Collaboration, shared learning experiences, and relationships are integral to instructional leadership support structures; 2) Secondary principals who engage in district-led professional learning where instructional leadership practices are modeled feel supported as instructional leaders by the district while also recognizing time constraints are prohibitive to fulfilling their instructional leadership role in their schools; and 3) Facilitating professional learning, fostering relationships with teachers, and remaining cognizant of teachers’ perceptions of principals as instructional leaders are vital for secondary principals supporting classroom instruction. District leaders can facilitate professional learning focused on instructional leadership to meet the needs of secondary principals through content delivery and implementation of practice to expand their instructional leadership capacity.