**5. Implications for policy, practice, and research**

An increasing amount of research studies have recommended that districts and states establish principal supervisors to guide and support their principals in their responsibilities as instructional leaders [7, 21–23]. The present study showed that vague and underdefined standards and norms for principal supervisors can act as a double-edged sword in the evaluation process, leading to either fruitful or disastrous experiences of supervision. When clear standards and roles are lacking, principal supervisors are left with an ambiguous collection of generic activities itemized in their job descriptions [6, 7]. To avoid this pitfall, a set of standards for the professional practice of principal supervisors should be developed by policymakers and district officials to clearly represent their functional requirements. The work of principals would change as a result, and their principalship would improve. Additionally, this would hold principal supervisors accountable to assist their principals in enhancing the fundamental aspects of teaching and learning. Such a strategy would also mark a significant turning point in the evaluation process and serve as a replacement for ineffective or arbitrary practices.

Regarding professional development, school districts should offer continual training that strengthens the ability of principal supervisors to lead and evaluate effectively. Of the six principal supervisors who took part in this study, none had the necessary assistance or training to handle the complicated and demanding landscape of the principal evaluation. Principal supervisors' expertise and ability are maintained through well-designed and -organized professional development that keeps them informed of industry changes, best practices, and trends; enables them to collaborate and learn from colleagues; and guides them to become highly effective supervisors. To bridge the disparity between principal supervisors and improve their leadership and evaluation capabilities, professional development is critical. In light of this, greater effort must be made to offer sufficient training and professional development programs for them [6, 7, 16, 18, 22, 23].

Future research might follow a similar pattern to that of the present study, but include a larger participant pool that includes principals in addition to principal supervisors. It might compare the unique viewpoints of both sides of the supervisory relationship to further explore motivating factors for principal growth. Future research might also use multiple observations to reinforce the methodology and produce even stronger findings, perhaps even triangulating the data across several data collection methods to gain a better picture of the phenomenon. A comparative study might also be of use to provide insight into supervisory practices and norms in all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It could delve further into what practices are most effective and proven in real practice by measuring their impact on the development of principals in a given area(s). This could provide powerful

*The Roles, Challenges, and Needs of Principal Supervisors: A Case Study DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108834*

information that district authorities would be able to review and incorporate into future supervisory strategies and standards of practice across the board. The benefit of this kind of comparative study could be even further enhanced by conducting the study over a longer period, perhaps 4 years, to measure the impact over time.

Finally, school districts should clearly define concise and measurable goals for principal supervisors that align with district goals. Principal supervisors have an abundance of responsibilities, including administrative duties, professional development activities, district office obligations, and perhaps most importantly instruction leadership charges. Regardless of how well principal supervisors balance their various roles, their central task of supervision is often compromised, sometimes extensively. If school districts implemented and enforced the instructional leadership and supervisory roles of principal supervisors, it would open a great deal of possibility for the improvement and development of their assigned principals and their respective schools. Central offices might even hire separate personnel to deal with administrative and technical matters to leave principal supervisors free to fully dedicate themselves to the development of their principals.
