School & District Management Report Roundup

Principal Preparation

By Jeff Archer — April 19, 2005 1 min read
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“Innovative Pathways to School Leadership,” is online from the U.S. Department of Education. ()

Successful accelerated programs that prepare new principals share many of the same practices, a report from the U.S. Department of Education’s office of innovation and improvement concludes.

The agency’s report describes six preparation programs that train prospective administrators largely through real-world experience rather than traditional university-based coursework.

Each of the training regimens is designed to produce principals who see their roles as catalysts for change aimed at improving student learning, the report says. Other common elements of the successful programs include highly selective entrance criteria and a team approach, in with participants draw support from one another.

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