Preparing Principals for a Changing World

Research has demonstrated that principals play a vital role in creating successful schools, but what is the best way to prepare and develop highly qualified candidates?  What are the essential elements of good leadership? How are successful leadership development programs designed?  What program structures provide the best learning environments? What governing and financial policies are needed to sustain good programming?

These questions and others are answered in Preparing Principals for a Changing World, a new book by Linda Darling-Hammond (and others).  The book reports on a study that examined eight exemplary principal development programs, as well as state policies and principals’ experiences across the country.  Using the data from the study, the authors reveal how successful programs are structured, the skills and knowledge that participants gain, and what they are able to do in practice as school leaders as a result of their participation in the programs.

The research reveals that the exemplary programs share similar characteristics, such as aggressive recruitment, close ties with schools in the community, on-the-ground training under the wing of expert principals, and a strong emphasis on the cutting-edge theories of instructional and transformational leadership.

The authors analyze program outcomes for principals and their schools, including illustrative case studies and educators' voices on the influence of programs' strategies for recruitment, internships, mentoring, and coursework.  Although the Houston A+ Challenge Regional Principal Leadership Academy is not one of the programs in the study, the RPLA meets all of the criteria for the exemplary programs outlined in the book.  It is rewarding to know that we are on the cutting edge of increasing the number of highly qualified, thoughtful, and innovative instructional leaders who will change the future landscape of education.