Strong, well-prepared school leaders are a well-known lever for improving student achievement and retaining teachers, but principal retention has received less attention even as principals are leaving at worrying rates. State leaders can help develop strong principals in their states by investing in evidence-based professional learning…

School principals are critical to students' academic achievement, second only to teachers. They are the primary agents of change in their schools, fostering supportive learning environments that enhance student learning and teacher effectiveness. Moreover, they often design and oversee the initiatives and hiring to sustain the positive changes…

While the demands of teaching continue to escalate, teacher development has changed relatively little over time, leaving many of today's teachers feeling underprepared, overwhelmed, or demoralized with few opportunities to make real change. Teacher leadership holds promise for both addressing challenges within schools and empowering teachers.…

Being a principal is a hard job in normal circumstances, but COVID-19 made the job of leading campuses nearly impossible for many. In a recent survey, one out of two principals said their stress level is so high that they are considering career change or retirement. This report details findings from a five-year project called the School Leadership…

For over two decades, NIET has been dedicated to building educator excellence to enhance student success by supporting states, districts, schools, and educator preparation programs in recruiting, developing, and retaining educators. The first section of the 2023-24 NIET Research Summary presents highlights from five recent studies that align with…

Leadership is often described as lonely work. Today's leaders have demanding, high-stakes responsibilities yet lack the peer connection and high-quality professional learning they need to address those challenges. Leaders' professional learning frequently occurs in isolation from their peers with similar experiences, and it is often confined to a…

Today's school leaders are often stretched thin, juggling increasingly complex challenges with limited resources. This situation is exacerbated by veteran administrators leaving the profession, leaving less experienced principals and assistant principals to lead schools without substantial support. To address the evolving needs of school leaders,…

Recent reports indicate the national principal attrition rate is at an all-time high. Scholars suggest a lack of responsive professional development as a leading factor in why principals leave the field. Further, the pandemic has exposed daily uncertainties for school leaders as they navigate new territory, bringing forth new considerations in how…

This article describes a partnership that launched a principal professional learning community (PLC) that emphasized shared learning, peer calibration, and reflective practice. The PLC created space for building-level administrators, including principals and assistant principals, to learn with and from one another in role-alike groups. Its purpose…

As schools become more racially, socioeconomically, and linguistically diverse, there are increasing calls for educational leaders to be more representative of student demographics and be explicitly prepared to advance equity through culturally responsive/relevant leadership practices. We discuss how applying an equity lens to three key content…

Background/purpose: With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has become possible to invent computer systems that can perform human-like processes to tackle large data and solve complex problems. AI has manifested itself in the field of education through several technologies such as intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive…

Leadership at the school level is vital for creating a positive learning environment, guiding transformative practices, and fostering collaboration among staff, students, and the community to achieve success and overall school improvement.

This is the technical appendix to a report that offers early lessons from an initiative focused on social and emotional learning (SEL) in elementary schools and out-of-school time (OST) programs. In 2016, in an effort to gain knowledge about how to help children develop SEL skills, The Wallace Foundation launched a six-year project called the…

The heart and soul of any successful organization is outstanding leadership. In education, school divisions are always striving to increase school achievement and as such hold school leaders accountable for this growth. Leaders require explicit leadership skills. This article shares a proposal in which school leaders participate in direct literacy…

Many professions have long runways to leadership, with mentorship and increasing levels of responsibility. In contrast, the path to school leadership has historically not been well-defined. But that is changing. The role of assistant principals has become a major stepping stone to the principalship. Once thought of primarily as disciplinarians,…