From EdNC’s Analisa Sorrells:
How do principals affect students and schools? That’s the focus of a new study from the Wallace Foundation that synthesizes two decades of research on the impact of principals. During a webinar yesterday, the lead researchers of the study presented findings and a panel discussed the study’s implications on COVID-19 recovery. Here are a few key findings:
Studies using new data and methods show that the importance of principals may not have been stated strongly enough in prior work. There is strong evidence that effective principals contribute substantially to student achievement. For example, replacing a principal at the 25th percentile of effectiveness with a principal at the 75th percentile of effectiveness results in the average student gaining an additional three months of learning in math and reading.
The evidence links four domains of behavior to positive outcomes for students and schools: engaging in instructionally focused interactions with teachers, building a productive climate, facilitating collaboration and professional learning communities, and managing personnel and resources strategically.
The study also finds that the principalship needs continued reorientation toward educational equity and that there needs to be renewed attention to supporting a high-quality principal workforce.
For more, read this Twitter thread.
From EdNC’s Rupen Fofaria:
The National Council on Teacher Quality conducted a new study on teacher preparation program diversity and admissions. The report includes 1,256 elementary teacher preparation programs across the country, including 38 in North Carolina. Data in the report covers 1) how the racial diversity of enrollment compares to the diversity of the existing state teacher workforce and the racial diversity of the local community in which they operate, and 2) how selective they are in admitting aspiring teachers to their program.
Nationwide, 1 in 5 programs received an “A” for program diversity. In North Carolina, the rate was nearly half that, with only four of 38 receiving A’s (all of which are historically Black colleges and universities). North Carolina fared better with admissions standards, with 10 of 38 receiving A’s, slightly better than 1 in 4. It still lagged the national average of 1 in 3. The most glaring figure, however, is that 23 of 38 programs in North Carolina received an F for program diversity.
The full report is available here.
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How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research
An effective principal’s impact is stronger and broader than previously thought, making it “difficult to envision” a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leaders... Read the rest
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