Jargon associated with mentoring can be confusing. Is a new leader involved in induction, being mentored, or experiencing coaching? Induction is meant to familiarize a new employee with the details and scope of job responsibilities, while mentoring and coaching are directed at skill development. Elementary and secondary principals rate mentoring…

The continually changing role of the principal has created a complex position of leadership requiring more data for more skills than traditional methods of evaluation or feedback can provide. The purpose of this article is to question the process of providing beneficial and meaningful feedback for educational leaders so that they can reach their…

Since its inception, New Leaders for New Schools has been driven by the fundamental belief that every child can succeed academically at high levels. New Leaders for New Schools also believes that an effective principal is a crucial lever for school improvement and transforming student achievement at scale. Thus, a focus on the selection, training,…

Schools are increasingly asked to expand their role in meeting the needs of all students. They are asked to provide a blend of synergistic ideas that are both traditional and progressive while dealing with huge differences in skill levels. The response of K-8 principals to this challenge can make all the difference in the world to children being…

To anticipate the future needs of principal preparation, it is important to understand past efforts to bridge the preparation and practice gap. Decades ago, both the military and corporate industries discovered that classroom training was not meeting their needs for preparing soldiers and business professionals for real-life challenges. So they…

A National Commission on Teaching and America's Future report argues that every child deserves a caring, competent, and qualified teacher and every teacher deserves high-quality preparation and professional development. Five major reform areas include professional standards, redesigned training and professional development, aggressive recruitment…

A principal of a rural Vermont school describes the unexpected incidents that led to his tongue-in-cheek conclusion that certification for rural principals ought to include courses in mechanics, nature, and people. (JM)

Districts can quickly relieve the principal shortage by hiring recently retired principals and aspiring assistant principals, keeping good principals on the job, reconsidering early retirement options, providing monetary incentives, and recruiting candidates from local universities and outside education. Nurturing assistant principals is the best…

For principals, a teaching or educational leadership background is crucial for performing their instructional leadership and democratic governance responsibilities. Schools' experience with alternatively certified teachers (likely to be less effective, committed, or permanent than traditionally trained teachers) should raise cautionary flags about…