Which Way To The Principal’s Office?

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Which way to the principal’s office?

By Suzanne Bouffard

Categories: Career pathways, Leadership, Standards for Professional Learning

Many professions have long runways to leadership, with mentorship and increasing levels of responsibility. Lead prosecutors start as assistant district attorneys, surgeons often complete a fellowship after residency, many business and nonprofit leaders move through the ranks of assistant director or vice president. In contrast, the path to school leadership has historically not been well-defined. But that is changing. The role of assistant principals has become a major stepping stone to the principalship. Among today’s head principals, three-quarters have previously worked as assistant principals, and the ranks of assistant principals are increasing at a rate six times that of principals (Goldring et al., 2021a). Once thought of primarily as disciplinarians, assistant principals are now seen as key members of school leadership teams and an important

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References

Booker-Dwyer, T., Aladjem, D.K., Fletcher, K., & Eyer, B. (2023). Assistant principal advancement to the principalship: A guide for school districts. Policy Studies Associates.

Gates, S.M., Baird, M.D., Master, B.K., & Chavez-Herrerias, E.R. (2019). Principal pipelines: A feasible, affordable, and effective way for districts to improve schools. RAND Corporation.

Gill, J. (2021, May 18). Shining the spotlight on assistant principals. The Wallace Foundation.

Goldring, E., Rubin, M., & Herrmann, M. (2021a). The role of assistant principals: Evidence and insights for advancing school leadership. The Wallace Foundation.

Goldring, E., Rubin, M., & Herrmann, M. (2021b). The role of assistant principals: Evidence and insights for advancing school leadership [webinar]. The Wallace Foundation. wallacefoundation.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/the-role-of-assistant-principals-ppt-presentation.pdf

Learning Forward. (2022). Standards for Professional Learning. Author.

Levin, S. & Bradley, K. (2019). Understanding and addressing principal turnover: A review of the research. NASSP & Learning Policy Institute.

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

The Nation’s Report Card. (2023). NAEP long-term trend assessment results: Reading and mathematics. www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ltt/2023/

Suzanne Bouffard

Senior Vice President, Communications & Publications | + posts

Suzanne Bouffard is senior vice president of communications and publications at Learning Forward. She is the editor of The Learning Professional, Learning Forward’s flagship publication. She also contributes to the Learning Forward blog and webinars. With a background in child development, she has a passion for making research and best practices accessible to educators, policymakers, and families. She has written for many national publications including The New York Times and the Atlantic, and previously worked as a writer and researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Duke University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. She loves working with authors to help them develop their ideas and voices for publication.