Georgia to Set Higher Bar for School Administrators

Push mirrors emphasis by a number of states on administrator training.

Beginning next fall, a master’s degree in leadership will no longer be enough for someone to become and remain a principal or superintendent in Georgia, which is joining the push by a number of states to set stiffer requirements for administrators with the intent of better preparing them to lead schools in an era of accountability.

The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is requiring that school administrators complete an education specialist’s degree within five years of landing such a job.

That mandate takes place in tandem with the University System of Georgia’s new requirement that all of its 11 master’s-degree programs for school leaders be revamped by next fall to include less classroom time and more...