Making Better School Principals

by Nicole Moore

Good principals are the bridge between school improvement efforts and real student learning, education experts said Friday at the National Conference of State Legislatures' Spring Forum in Washington, D.C. State legislators can help create better school leaders by learning about the principal-training programs in their states, enacting policies like standards and licensing to improve those programs, and increasing funding.

President of the Wallace Foundation Christine DeVita talked about why she believes it's important to focus on principals to improve American education. Listen to DeVita (1:33).

Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond presented the results of her new study of effective principal preparation university programs, which outlines what those programs have that others don't. Darling-Hammond said the programs that work recruit participants. They go into schools and invite good teachers to apply. They have high admission standards and robust internships so that principals-to-be get hands-on training from the best role models. They also include continuing education components, among other attributes.

DeVita listed four characteristics of successful school leadership training programs, gleaned from the new Stanford report and other Wallace research and work. Listen to her list (3:46).

Darling-Hammond recommended several "policy levers" state legislators can put in place to help improve the programs in their states. She named Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut and Delaware as having one or more laws that improved their school leadership training. Hear what those policies are (6:07).