Research indicates that solid school leadership is an essential ingredient for the success of students. Yet training for principals often fails to prepare them to face the challenges of the schools they lead. Principal training programs have for decades been criticized as unselective in their admissions, academically weak and poorly connected to school realities.

There are signs of change. Some districts, such as those in Chicago and Denver, have collaborated with willing universities to design better training for aspiring principals. Others, such as those in New York City, Boston and Gwinnett County, Ga., have formed their own training academies or are working with non-profit training providers to create programs suited to their needs. Moreover, over the last decade or so, researchers have provided insights into effective principal training programs and documented compelling examples of sound practices.

While these signs of heightened attention are encouraging, there is still a long way to go before the majority of the nation’s aspiring principals get the training they need to succeed. This Wallace Perspective probes foundation-supported research and work in school leadership to identify five steps to better training:

  1. More selective admission to principal preparation programs;
  2. A focus in these programs on instructional leadership;
  3. District efforts to influence the quality of principal preparation;
  4. State action in areas including program accreditation and principal certification; and
  5. High-quality mentoring and professional development, especially for novice principals.

 Points of Interest

  • A more selective, probing process for choosing candidates for training is the essential first step in creating a more capable and diverse corps of future principals.
    More selective admissions to #principal prep programs is the first step toward more effective principal training.
  • Aspiring principals need pre-service training that prepares them to lead improved instruction and school change, not just manage buildings.
    #Principals need training that helps them improve instruction, not just manage buildings. #education
  • Districts should do more to exercise their power to raise the quality of principal training, so that graduates better meet their needs.
    Districts should do more to improve #principal training so graduates can meet district needs. #education