School leaders, specifically principals, play a pivotal role in shaping student learning outcomes. The benefits of strong leaders extend beyond academic achievement, such as reductions in absenteeism and exclusionary discipline. While quality principals are critical for creating and sustaining quality schools, the staffing pipeline is facing…

Despite a growing research base on the need for and value of instructionally-focused principal supervisors, few states have addressed principal supervisors in their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In those plans that include strategies pertaining to principal supervisors, there is limited detail. This resource highlights…

When the Minneapolis Public Schools first set out to hire turnaround school principals, administrators followed their usual process--which focused largely on reputation and anecdotal support and considered mainly internal candidates. Yet success at the complicated task of turning around the fortunes of a failing school depends on exceptionally…

The need to recruit, prepare, and develop the next generation of educational leaders challenges states and localities everywhere. The complex demands of current educational reform initiatives have been articulated in national and state reports detailing the changing conditions of schools and provide compelling evidence for the necessity of new…

It has been reported the demands of the high school principalship in the United States has deterred qualified candidates from accepting the position. The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of job satisfaction among Minnesota high school principals within a potentially dwindling supply of qualified candidates as reported in other…

As the deadline set forth by No Child Left Behind approaches, it is clear that the goal of proficiency in English language arts and mathematics for all students by 2014 will not be met. As a result, the U.S. Department of Education has offered states the option of applying for flexibility on parts of the law. This policy brief outlines those…

This report discusses licensing requirements for educational administrators in Minnesota. It describes the four areas that require licensing--superintendent, K-12 principal, director of special education, and director of community education--and offers a brief history of licensing prior to the new standards that were imposed in 1997. The post-1996…

This pamphlet reports a study that examined the factors affecting administrator supply and demand in Minnesota. The report (1) provides data on the age, sex, tenure in present position, level of preparation, and administrative certification for persons holding administrative positions; (2) attempts to identify the "ready reserve" --…

The number of women in educational administration is declining, despite official efforts to end sex discrimination. Women are hampered on the way to obtaining an adequate education, finding roadblocks from sex bias in elementary readers to discrimination in graduate programs; are considered responsible for home and children even when working full…