selecting the right secondary principal

8/6/2019 Selecting the Right Secondary Principal

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SELECTING THE RIGHT SECONDARY

PRINCIPALA USC RESEARCH STUDY

Rudy M. Castruita, Ed.D,

Professor, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California

Fal Asrani, Ed.D,

Administrator for High School Reform, Antioch Unified School District


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Statement of the Problem

The Federal Legislation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 2001has identified the need for qualified secondary principals toinitiate reform efforts to address issues of achievement gapthat plague American Public School Districts.

These qualified secondary principals must develop a plan thatnegates the one size fits all concept of high school diploma(Bragg and Kim, 2008) through implementation of successfulreform initiatives around teaching and learning.

The underlying concerns around inadequate preparation ofsecondary principal candidates and the shortage of qualifiedcandidates prioritize the need for review of the PrincipalPreparation Programs.


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Significance of this study

This study:

Identifies the skills, trainings and knowledge thatsuperintendents consider important when hiring secondary

school principals.

Presents the key areas of competence needed to be successfulas a secondary school leader in this time of highaccountability.

The findings may be used as reference for redesigning currentPrincipal Preparation Programs.


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Factors Contributing to Secondary

Principal Selection Problems:

Shortage of qualified candidates who have been trained to

meet the real challenges of the secondary school must be

addressed.

Shortage of interested candidates due to longer hours,

increased liability and the politics of the position, must be

addressed so as to attract and retain qualified candidates.


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The Priorities of the 21stCentury

Secondary School Principal: Identified as a Change Agent[Dufour et al. (2002), Fullan (2002), Marzano et al. (2005),]

Identified as an Instructional Leader(Reeves, 2008)

Identified as a Community Leader(Fullan, 2001)

Identified as a Visionary Leader(Usdan et al., 2000).


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Superintendent Selection Criteria for 21st

Century Secondary School Principals: Demonstrate a deep

commitment to diverse student

learning needs

Ability to engage stakeholdersthrough collaboration and

interaction

Identify with and closely reflect

the vision of the Superintendent

Display strong communicationskills

Prioritize staff training and

professional development

Demonstrate the ability to

tolerate high levels of stress

Possess strong understanding

about the politics of the job Identify with being a risk-taker,

flexible, self-starter, and possess

the ability to think outside the

book

Strong Knowledge of employeediscipline and union contracts

Highly experienced in

classroom supervision and

teacher evaluation


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District Initiatives That Support

Secondary Principal Success: Ensure that Principals are trained and understand the evaluation

standards based on the six ISLLC/CPSEL standards

Have strategies in place to support the Political Framework aspect of

Principal Leadership

Introduce organized and regular opportunities for support services forPrincipals

Create in-house training programs for current and future administrators

Using stakeholders to be part of the selection process to ensure the bestmatch:


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Recommendations for Principal Preparation Programs;

USC will be considering the following recommendations:

1. Incorporate lessons around strategy and practice and role play involving

situational discussions.

Alllowing candidates to make real decisions related to difficult parent

and student behaviors. The candidates must also acquire knowledge of

case studies and legal decisions as reference Provide candidates with deeper understanding of the Principal position

and the impact this position has on the decisions of diverse groups.

Providing real-world examples related to political role of this office can

provide good foundation for future situations

Provide candidates with knowledge of how to analyze and apportionBudgets: Candidates should have a working knowledge of the various

funding sources, restricted and unrestricted funding, etc.

Fdocus on the interpretation of data to address accountability measures

under federal mandates and candidates must understand how to read the

data and increase the schools status related to PI, API, AYP, Safe Harbor.


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framed as to be more in line with district internadministrative credential programs

Candidates must be prepared for interviews which nowreflect current federal legislation and accountability

measures and accompanying implications around increasingstudent

focused on use of data to monitor and introduce programsand services.

1. emphasis should be given on how principals address studentlearning and engage in critical questions around teacherefficacy related to pedagogy, student engagement, and rigorand relevance.


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be trained to identify and engage staff toprovide effective professional growth and staffdevelopment activities to address teacher

efficacy in meeting student needs is critical Training in appropriate introduction of research

based reform initiatives and strategies such asPLC, and SLC and support that with data that

would create stakeholder buy-in, and createongoing improvements.

Training around Personnel standards, relatedto knowledge of staff discipline, creating a


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Next Steps:

Assessment of current Principal Preparation Program options,vis--vis, University programs, Online programs, ACSA AB430, and existing partnerships between school district andlocal University resulting in In-house certification programs

through: a) observations of course content and real world preparation

standards;

b) surveys of principals who are recent graduates of theseprograms and their personal preparation for their positions;

(c) interviews of district administrators and their response toprincipals hired from these programs and how they areperforming on the job.


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For further information contact:

Rudy M Castruita, Ed.D,

Professor Rossier School of Education,

University of Southern California

Email: [email protected]

and

Fal Asrani, Ed.D,

Administrator, High School ReformAntioch Unified School District.

Email: [email protected]

selecting the right secondary principal

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