Great Principals Influence Student Achievement
Did you know that a great principal can influence student achievement almost as much as an exceptional teacher? Research has repeatedly affirmed the importance of school principals.
“Principals really matter. Indeed, it is difficult to envision an investment with a higher ceiling on its potential return than a successful effort to improve principal leadership.”
According to “How Principals Affect Students and Schools,” the influence of a strong principal on student achievement is second only to that of an exceptional classroom teacher. In addition, principals contribute to other important outcomes such as school climate, educational equity, attendance rates, and teacher satisfaction and retention.
Yet, many schools struggle to recruit and develop effective leaders.
As schools serve increasingly diverse student populations, often with widening gaps in achievement, it is imperative that principals and their districts orient all facets of their practice toward educational equity. In particular, the recruitment and retention of effective principals from diverse backgrounds in schools serving historically marginalized student populations can have powerful, positive impacts on students and teachers of color.
But what does it take to help a principal become effective? A summary of research from the past two decades, “Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters?” provides some insights, including the importance of the following:
- High-quality preparation, including field-based internships and problem-based learning with the support of a coach or mentor.
- Experiences designed to build principals’ knowledge and skills to meet the needs of diverse learners and examine how biases manifest in society and schools.
- Increased access to authentic, job-based learning opportunities that allow pre-service principals to assume true leadership responsibilities and in-service principals to have meaningful, ongoing coaching or mentoring.
While we know that great leaders are key to transforming schools and improving outcomes for students, putting the research into action can be challenging and daunting. Without strong, well-prepared leaders, the achievement gap for students, especially those in historically underserved groups, will continue to grow.
As leaders of principal preparation programs, your influence on the next generation of school administrators cannot be understated.
We want to help you help them. Together, let’s make sure principals are equipped to drive positive change for all students.
In partnership with the Wallace Foundation, AACTE is exploring how current research and resources are being used to support principal/leadership preparation and how it is impacting the practice of future school leaders.
We invite you to link arms as we explore ways to grow our knowledge and practice in support of the future leaders we serve. The following are a few ways to get started:
- Learn more about the research: If you are not familiar with it already, we invite you to dive into the Wallace Foundation’s research on school leadership.
- Join a focus group: Through focus groups, we will harness our collective energy and creativity to refine ideas to increase thecapacity, quality, and sustainability of educational leadership preparation aligned with the research. If you are not already a member of the Principal Preparation TAG, please contact the TAG co-chairs, Donna Cooner, Ed.D., at Cooner@colostate.edu and Wendy Fothergill, Ph.D., at Wendy.Fothergill@colostate.edu to receive invitations to participate in this important work.
- Respond to the AACTE School Leadership Feedback Survey: Provide insights on how you are currently engaging with the research, the support you need, and ideas you have to improve the impact of AACTE in an October 21 survey distributing to members.
Author Information:
As a leadership and instructional coach, Sharon Newman helps principals and teachers attune to their values, fostering a passion for teaching, a commitment to creativity, and an unwavering belief in the capabilities of all children. She is currently a principal licensure candidate at Colorado State University.
Tags: principal preparation, research
