Quick Links: Resources for Principal Preparation
The start of the fall term can be an ideal time to restock supplies and gather fresh resources for the year ahead. If your work includes preparing and supporting school leaders, here are some helpful links to visit, bookmark, and share as you head back to campus.
Wallace Knowledge Center
The Wallace Foundation has assembled its vast array of reports and other media in a digital Knowledge Center, organized by topic. Visit the School Leadership Knowledge Center for quick access to content on principal preparation programs, standards and policy, pipeline supports, evaluation, and more.
Principal Pipeline Podcast Series
One noteworthy feature of The Wallace Foundation’s Knowledge Center is the six-episode series “The Principal Preparation Podcast: Practitioners Share Lessons From the Field.” Pop in your earbuds (or just read the transcript) to hear from principals as well as leaders from districts, states, and higher education in a series of interviews:
- Building the Pipeline (with Carmen Fariña, New York, NY, and Jody Spiro, Wallace)
- Improving Job Standards and Hiring Pays Off (with Tricia McManus and Robert Bhoolai, Hillsborough County Schools, FL)
- Districts and Universities Work Together to Improve Preparation (with Liz Kirby, Chicago Public Schools, and Steve Tozer, University of Illinois at Chicago)
- Mentors Support Novice Principals on the Job (with Glenn Pethel, Tamara Perkins, and Vivian Stranahan, Gwinnett County Public Schools, GA)
- States Can Play a Role in Building Principal Pipelines (with Paul Fleming, Tennessee Department of Education)
- Shoring Up Two Critical Roles, Assistant Principals and Principal Supervisors (with Doug Anthony, LaTanya Sothern, and Kasandra Lassiter, Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD)
New Principal Pipeline Study
In July, The Wallace Foundation released a report, A New Role Emerges for Principal Supervisors: Evidence From Six Districts in the Principal Supervisor Initiative, highlighting outcomes from the Principal Supervisor Initiative (PSI) and identifying successful ways for principal supervisors’ jobs to be refocused to more effectively support principals’ instructional leadership. The PSI aimed to improve this situation by addressing five core components: (a) revising supervisors’ job description to focus on instructional leadership, (b) reducing the number of principals in each supervisor’s case load, (c) developing supervisors’ capacity to support principals, (d) developing systems to identify and train new supervisors, and (e) strengthening central office structures to support and sustain these changes.The study documents the experience of six institutions that participated in the PSI initiative as reported in a series of interviews and from surveys with participants. Read more about the report in this recent article.
AACTE Webinars
AACTE’s Video Wall contains recordings of several recent webinar series on principal preparation and pipelines, hosted by the Association with support from The Wallace Foundation. The most recent series, “Leveraging Community Resources to Strengthen Clinical Practice for New Principals,” focused on the importance of principals connecting with community-based resources to develop critical partnerships as a means of expanding their roles and impact as instructional leaders. Partnership opportunities and resources were discussed in the areas of mental health support, crisis management, and other timely issues. These webinars provide expert advice on scenarios all new principals must be prepared to address:
- Investigation Techniques for School Safety
- Partnering With Legal and Social Services
- Mental Health Support for School Leaders
- Crisis Management
Another recent series, “Principals as Transformation Leaders,” explored best practices for high-quality preservice principal preparation, supports needed for new leaders, and other topics:
- High-Quality Preservice Preparation
- Support for New Leaders
- Changing School Cultures
- Serving Urban, Rural, and Alternative Settings
- Changing Roles and Responsibilities
For more information on AACTE’s webinars and other work with institutions in partnership with The Wallace Foundation, contact AACTE Director of Programs and Professional Learning Amanda Lester at alester@aacte.org.
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, principal preparation
