What is the state of university-based principal preparation programs? How are these essential training grounds of future school leaders viewed -- by themselves as well as by the school districts that hire their graduates? Do the programs need to improve? If so, by what means?
This publication seeks to help answer those questions by bringing together findings from four reports commissioned by The Wallace Foundation to inform its development of a potential new initiative regarding university-based principal training. In addition to confirming close-to-unanimous agreement among university educators and school superintendents about the important role principals play in advancing student achievement, it finds five themes:
- District leaders are largely dissatisfied with the quality of principal preparation programs, and many universities believe that their programs have room for improvement.
- Strong university-district partnerships are essential to high-quality preparation but are far from universal.
- The course of study at preparation programs does not always reflect principals' real jobs.
- Some university policies and practices can hinder change.
- States have authority to play a role in improving principal preparation, but many are not using this power as effectively as possible.
What to read next
Published by
- The Wallace Foundation
- American Institutes for Research
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
- The School Superintendents Association
- University Council for Education Administration
Copyright
- Copyright 2016 American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Institutes for Research, The School Superintendents Association, The Wallace Foundation, University Council for Education Administration.
Document type
Language
Geography
Linked Data show/hide