States can do a lot more to develop and support effective principals, concludes a report commissioned by the Wallace Foundation.
Released last month, the report digs into the policy levers that states can pull to help elevate the job of principal, create more clarity around the role, strengthen preparation programs, and tailor support for principals and assistant principals.
Paul Manna, the report’s author and a government professor at the College of William and Mary, argues that it’s in the interest of state policymakers to elevate the profile of principals in their education policy discussions, as principals play an important role in the success of federal and state education initiatives. They also have an impact on teachers and shape school climate. State policies can also further principals’ work or inadvertently hamper it, the report says.
In practice, though, principals are often low on the state education policymaking agenda, and principals, in general, receive less attention than teachers, according to the report. (The Wallace Foundation helps support coverage of arts education, expanded and extended learning time, and leadership by Education Week.)
