This article discusses an educational program in Virginia, wherein principals receive special training, additional compensation, and are eligible for a state credential as a "turnaround specialist." When the program was unveiled, some skeptics questioned its focus on individual leaders and quick results. Principals in the program say…

Virginia state officials selected the University of Virginia to run a training program that will let an experienced school leader earn a credential as a "turnaround specialist." This strategy, borrowed from the corporate world, is meant to form an elite cadre of school leaders that are able to jump-start improvement in low-performing…