The principal's job is often called the loneliest in K-12 education, but it's just as fitting to call it the toughest. Hours are long. Demands come from all directions. And no one else in a school has the same responsibilities. Who would want the job? And who is cut out to do it successfully, year in and year out?
This Education Week special report examines how educators and policymakers are tackling critical issues facing principals already on the job and helping districts build a bench of strong school leaders.
Elizabeth Valerio, a KIPP assistant principal, visits a 6th grade math class at KIPP Rise Academy in Newark, N.J. She is training to become the principal of one of the network's schools in St. Louis next fall.
Jennifer Schrecongost, an assistant principal in Stevensville, Md., views a peer’s mock news conference as part of a state effort to prepare more principals.
In this special report, we examine how educators and policymakers are cultivating principals who can be the kind of political, managerial, and instructional leaders the profession now demands.
The need for more high-quality professional development for school leaders is gaining traction in local districts and with state and federal policymakers.
School districts are working to retool the responsibilities of principal supervisors, who have traditionally been charged with making sure principals—and the schools they run—comply with rules and regulations.
As demands of the job grow, principals are tapping into the talents of the teacher corps to serve in meaningful leadership roles that support management and improve instruction.
The Denver public school system has made developing its own school leaders a priority for more than a decade. The district has more recently intensified its efforts to expand—and strengthen—its principal pipeline by focusing on how it trains, selects, and supports school leaders.
In this special photo project, we asked principals who use Twitter and Instagram to share images that capture their daily lives as school leaders.
January 5, 2015
Coverage of leadership, expanded learning time, and arts learning is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at www.wallacefoundation.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.
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