Most of the nation’s 90,000 public school principals start their education careers as teachers. Along the way, most who aspire to the principalship will land in a university-based preparation program. There, they take a series of courses and obtain some in-the-field experience that leads them to the required credentials to become a school leader. But very often, those programs don’t bestow the knowledge and skills that make would-be principals truly ready for the complex job that awaits.
Why?
For starters, the job has changed dramatically, especially the expectations around what effective principals must be able to do. They must know how to coach teachers to become better at instruction. They must create and maintain a school climate where all students and educators can flourish. And, increasingly, they need to know how to attend to the full array of children’s needs, not just their academic ones. So what are states, school districts, higher education, and alternative programs doing to prepare our future principals for all of this?
The principal’s job has changed dramatically, but many of the programs that prepare future school leaders don’t bestow the knowledge and skills they need to be effective.
Goreville, Ill., Superintendent Steve Webb greets students at Goreville Elementary School. Webb says the state’s new requirements for principal training make it harder for rural districts like his to find qualified candidates.
The state's move to overhaul training for school leaders has shifted university-based programs' focus to developing principals who are strong instructional leaders.
Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, principal of the Bronx Academy of Letters in New York, sits in on a yoga and mediation session with students inside the “pass room.” The room is part of the school’s restorative-justice approach to dealing with students who misbehave.
Education Week asked teachers to share their visions for what makes an ideal principal. Read some of their responses, then share your own take on the #idealprincipal to describe the qualities, traits, and experiences that add up to a strong, effective principal.
January 24, 2017
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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