No Principal Is An Island

IDEAS

No principal is an island

By Gail Paul

School principals are a vital but sometimes overlooked ingredient in education reform. Principals are schools’ chief improvement officers — leaders uniquely positioned to strengthen classroom instruction, build cultures of high achievement, cultivate leadership in others, and support teachers and other educators to boost student performance (Grissom et al., 2021). But extensive study into principal preparation and professional learning demonstrates the need for more intentional and systemic support for these leaders. A suite of newly published reports supported by The Wallace Foundation reveals the features and outcomes of high-quality principal learning and exposes disparities in principals’ access to strong learning opportunities, especially in high-poverty schools. These reports demonstrate how collaborating institutional partners — universities, school districts, and state and federal agencies — can address the gaps

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A multipronged approach to developing principals

The University Principal Pipeline Initiative is one arm of a multipronged approach to develop the principal profession supported by The Wallace Foundation.

In 2011, Wallace launched a six-year Principal Pipeline Initiative, which equipped six participating school districts from across the U.S. to improve the ways they identify, train, hire, support, and evaluate principals.

The Principal Supervisor Initiative, launched in 2014, helped six districts refocus the supervisor role on helping principals support high-quality instruction.

In 2016, Wallace launched the University Principal Preparation Initiative based on the previous research and fieldwork, adding an emphasis on how preservice training at universities can foster it.

University principal preparation initiative participants

The Wallace Foundation selected university programs in states with policies supportive of improved principal development and had district partners that served a high-need population. Participants include:

Albany State University (Georgia)
Florida Atlantic University
North Carolina State University
San Diego State University
University of Connecticut
Virginia State University
Western Kentucky University

References

Anderson, L.M., Turnbull, B.J., & Arcaira, E.R. (2017, June). Leader tracking systems: Turning data into information for school leadership. Policy Studies Associates.

Darling-Hammond, L., Wechsler, M.E., Levin, S. Leung-Gagné, & Tozer, S. (2022, May). Developing effective principals: What kind of learning matters? Learning Policy Institute & The Wallace Foundation.

Gates, S.M., Herman, R., & Wang, E.L. (2022, June). State partnerships with university principal preparation programs: A summary of findings for state policymakers. RAND Corporation.

Grissom, J.A., Egalite, A.J., & Lindsay, C.A. (2021, February). How principals affect students and schools: A synthesis of two decades of research. The Wallace Foundation.

Herman, R., Wang, E.L., & Gates, S.M. (2022, June). Collaborating on university principal preparation program redesign: A summary of findings for university principal preparation program providers. RAND Corporation.

Herman, R., Wang, E.L., Woo, A., & Gates, S.M. (2022, June). Redesigning university principal preparation programs: A systemic approach for change and sustainability. RAND Corporation.

Manna, P. (2021, October). How can state policy support local school districts as they develop principal pipelines? The Wallace Foundation.

National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2021, December 8). The pandemic, political tensions and limited guidance and resources cited as major factors. Author.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. Author.

The Wallace Foundation. (2022, June 6). Strengthening the bench of principals: Evidence and examples from universities, districts and states [Webinar]. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsHGy7lCZLA

Wang, E.L., Gates, S.M., & Herman, R. (2022, June). District partnerships with university principal preparation programs: A summary of findings for school district leaders. RAND Corporation.