The sustainability of most workplaces hinges on high-quality leadership—schools and districts are no different. With a new school year on the horizon, how can districts ensure that their leaders are operating at the highest caliber?
One proven solution points to building a principal pipeline. In a report by the RAND Corporation, six school districts across the country built “pipelines” to prepare and support a large corps of effective school principals.
All six districts were successful in their efforts, each of which implemented the four key components of an effective pipeline. These components include:
- Rigorous standards for principal knowledge and performance
- High-quality preservice training
- Selective leadership hiring and placement
- On-the-job evaluation and support
Further research has identified three other components that contribute to a principal’s success in a school system: a focus on systems and sustainability; investing in principal supervisors; and implementing systems to keep track of leaders in the pipeline.
The researchers assessed each district’s progress after three years. Their findings concluded that pipeline-district schools with newly placed principals outperformed comparison schools in districts without pipelines.
Further research has identified three other components that contribute to a principal’s success in a school system: a focus on systems and sustainability; investing in principal supervisors; and implementing systems to keep track of leaders in the pipeline.
In the RAND study, the researchers found that student achievement had improved significantly in pipeline schools. Additionally, principal turnover in the pipeline districts had decreased over the three-year trial period.
To those hesitant to build a principal pipeline for fear of cost, the researchers found that the initiative was relatively inexpensive, only using about 0.5 percent of each district’s budget on average. Evidence from the report also met federal funding standards under “Tier II” and “Tier III” of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Work is also underway to place equity at the center of principal pipeline development, reflecting the specific needs of each district. Wallace is currently working with eight large school districts in the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative, where each district has identified what equity means for its schools and is using that to guide the implementation of the pipeline components.
Interested in learning more about building principal pipelines, their effectiveness, and their real-world application? Wallace’s Principal Pipeline Podcast features in-depth conversations with school principals, district-level leaders, state leaders, and university officials who’ve developed strong principal pipelines to help others learn from their experiences.
