Lost Luster - restructuring the position of school principal to attract more candidates to job

School Administrator, Nov, 2001 by Diana G. Pounder, Randall Merrill

Additionally, districts must actively sponsor and encourage novice administrators to participate in important administrator development opportunities such as principal academies or state and national conferences. Informally, the organization can identify teachers who demonstrate leadership potential and encourage their development through leadership assignments such as department chairs, teacher leaders or in special district assignments.

We also note that many districts expect their assistant principals to mature into future principals or district leaders, yet often do not assign them responsibilities that would develop the necessary leadership background and skills for these future assignments. For example, some school principals find themselves struggling during their induction into the principalship because they were assigned little more than student disciplinary responsibilities as an assistant principal.

Although assistant principals must become effective in handling school discipline problems, limiting the role in such a narrow manner does not adequately prepare the employee for the complex organizational and leadership demands of the principalship. Assistant principals need experience in curriculum and instruction, supervision, budgeting, scheduling, community relations and other areas of responsibility in preparing to assume the duties of the principal.

As part of an overall professional development plan, school districts must consciously define assistant principals' roles broadly enough to adequately develop the knowledge and skills to assume the responsibilities of the principalship or other advanced leadership positions.

Lastly, many districts have begun to offer special incentives to attract administrative candidates to their applicant pool. These incentives may include financial incentives such as signing bonuses or moving expenses, mentoring programs, support for conference attendance or other professional development or help meeting standards-based reform initiatives or accountability demands (school data analyses, program evaluation or other support resources). As the competition for strong applicants increases, districts must become increasingly creative regarding incentives and support they can offer administrative candidates.

Pipeline Options

If America's schools are going to attract and retain the strongest educational leaders, these and other changes must be entertained by local school boards and superintendents. Although each district must consider job redesign and pipeline development alternatives that could work within its organizational and community context, we strongly encourage policymakers to think creatively and aggressively about more effective strategies for attracting and retaining capable educational leaders.

The current leadership crisis in education is unlikely to get better without serious departure from our business-as-usual practices. Yet we strongly discourage these same policymakers from seeking candidate pools that have no expertise, knowledge or skills specific to schooling. Research provides strong evidence that effective administrators must fulfill more than simple management functions to create effective schools. It is critical that school leaders are fully knowledgeable and experienced in the central function of schools, teaching and learning, if school outcomes are to improve.