Report Calls For Better Principal
Preparation
To Improve Quality Of Education In Texas; Author Says Position Often Held By Individuals
With Little Aptitude For It, No Specific Training For It, And Little Career
Interest In It
Note: Report published in May 1997
Contacts:
Valleau Wilkie, Jr., Executive Director Sid W. Richardson Foundation
817/336-0494
David A. Erlandson, Ed.D. Professor of Educational Administration Texas A&M University
(409) 845-2792
FORT WORTH, TX - A noted educator has suggested that a future key to improving the quality of public education could be the establishment of a pool of career-trained principals.
In Principals for the Schools of Texas: A Seamless Web of Professional Development, a report released in May 1997 by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Forum, Dr. David A. Erlandson asserts that a critical problem in public education today is that one of the most vital jobs in the school system is often held by individuals with little aptitude for it, no specific training for it, and little career interest in it.
Commenting on training for the position, Erlandson said, "Every principal must complete a 45 graduate credit hour program to receive the mid-management certificate. The problem is that this certificate is aimed at all types of mid-management positions in the schools and is seldom effectively focused on building the knowledge and skill needed by the principal."
Regarding interest in the job, Erlandson said that it is not always a career interest. "The position is often sought for the higher pay, relief from the tedium of classroom teaching, or as a necessary step toward a ‘better’ position in the central office," said Erlandson.
As a solution to the problem, Erlandson recommends a collaborative effort involving the state, public schools, universities, and business and professional organizations to recruit promising candidates who would be educated and trained as career principals and then re-evaluated at intervals throughout their careers.
"No one is more important in our educational system than the principal, yet the selection and preparation of principals is a process long overdue for review and improvement," said Valleau Wilkie, Jr., Executive Director of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, which sponsors the forum.
"That is the purpose of this report. The product of conferences sponsored by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Forum including representatives from education, business, and government, it provides a prescription for change."
Erlandson, professor of Educational Administration and director of the Principals’ Center at Texas A&M University, is co-editor of the School Leadership Library, a series of books that focuses on the knowledge and skills required by principals for effective school leadership. He has also authored or co-authored three books: Strengthening School Leadership (1976), Doing Naturalistic Inquiry (1993), and Organizational Oversight: Planning and Scheduling for Effectiveness (1996).
"The four themes of this paper are relatively simple," Erlandson said. "First, all groups that have a stake in the schools of Texas also have a stake in the development of effective principals. Second, these stakeholders must effectively collaborate in the development of principals. Third, the development of the principal must become a seamless web of experiences from recruitment through retirement. Fourth, the principal’s development must be linked directly to his or her role in real school settings."
"Public schools have been criticized for failure to provide students with adequate facility in the basic skills, failure to prepare students for success in higher education, and failure to develop habits of work and personal responsibility that will enable students to function productively in society," Erlandson said.
"The principal is a major factor in the success or failure of the school. It is the principal who screens applicants for teaching positions, monitors those teachers hired, controls rewards, and is the major representative of the school to the community," he said. "It is the principal who, more than any other person, determines the success of the school in responding to the needs of the students and the community. Yet, many who take the principal preparation courses do not have the aptitude to be effective principals or do not have that as a career goal. Many who currently enroll do not have any clear career goals. Others have career goals that do not include being a principal. They see it simply in terms of a pay raise or an advancement they cannot afford to turn down, or a step toward a superintendent’s job."
"The principal’s job is one of leadership, which involves providing purpose and direction for individuals and groups; shaping school culture and values; facilitating the development of a strategic vision for the school; and formulating and setting school goals and priorities in the context of community and district priorities and student and staff needs."
Erlandson proposes a system through which the local school district and other "major stakeholders" — the government, the university, the profession, and the community — would recruit and select a limited number of promising interested candidates, who would go through a pre-service program at a university consisting of no more than 36 graduate credit hours, culminating in a master’s degree. The candidate would then pass a state certification test and receive provisional certification for a period of five years.
Once the candidate is hired as a principal, in Erlandson’s plan, the major stakeholders would then take part in the continued training and evaluation of the principal throughout his/her career, with state funds being allocated to various entities according to their contribution. This would be handled through a regional council made up of stakeholders. The "caretaker" aspect of some principals’ tenure would be avoided by upgraded training and recertification every five years, a process of "support and renewal."
"Too often when a principal has been on the job for a number of years without complaints from parents or teachers or any other indication of trouble, it is assumed that the principal no longer needs professional renewal or that he or she is satisfactorily attending to those needs," Erlandson said. "This assumption is not always valid, and evidence of professional inadequacy may not be evident until there has been an educational disaster."
"This often accompanies a change in the student clientele, and a school that formerly had a reputation for academic excellence suddenly finds that its test scores have dropped, that there has been a surge of drugs or gang activity, and that parents are unhappy and vocal. While these shifts in school performance often appear to be sudden, their causes have usually taken several years to build up society’s expectations for a school change. In addition to being held to higher accountability standards for basic literacy, schools are expected to prepare students for a technologically driven society and take on responsibilities formerly considered the province of the family and other social institutions. Changes mean that the principal must also be prepared to bring his/her school into alignment with new expectations. This requires a knowledge of what the changed expectations are, the best alternatives to follow in response, and the renewed skills to implement these alternatives.
"A principal cannot depend upon static knowledge and skill or a past reputation for excellence to guide the school through these new waters. A principal must find some way to achieve personal and professional renewal. To protect the state’s interest in its schools, it is reasonable that principal certification be made for a limited period and that principals be required to demonstrate evidence of competence at the end of each certification period."
The Sid W. Richardson Foundation Forum was founded in October 1990 to provide a venue for leaders from schools, business, government, universities, and foundations to discuss education reform. The Foundation Forum has produced two other nationally recognized publications. The Professional Development School (1993) encourages development of clinical field-based preparation programs for teachers. Restructuring the University Reward System (1997) urges more reward for excellent teaching when higher education institutions reward faculty in tenure and promotion practices.
Comments of Leaders in Education
Mark Littleton, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Texas State Board for Educator Certification, Austin, Texas"The concepts presented by Dr. Erlandson are visionary, and their implementation is long overdue. It’s time that we begin using what we know as ‘best practice’ when it comes to preparing our future school leaders."
William E. Reaves, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Education
The Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas"Dave Erlandson’s report represents an incisive work on the preparation and professional development of principals. In Principals for the Schools of Texas, Dr. Erlandson has offered a collaborative agenda which cultivates and supports high quality campus leadership for Texas schools. This work provides an excellent point of departure for policy planning and development across a wide array of service providers."
Michael W. Say, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
Humble Independent School District, Humble, Texas"The certification of school administrators has long been in need of improvement. This set of recommendations, prepared under the leadership of Dr. David Erlandson, addresses the need for a sound pedagogical base as well as relevant practical training. This proposal deserves strong consideration for becoming the standard in Texas for preparing administrators for our schools."
Julian Shaddix, Executive Director
Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, Austin, Texas"The issues dealt with by Dave Erlandson in this important paper are critical to the very survival of public education as we know it. If campus leadership training is not revamped from the bottom to the top, we will continue to experience the demise of our schools."
"Dr. Erlandson has presented a positive, constructive approach to bringing the training for campus leaders into the twenty-first century. He is to be commended for taking this bold step."
Barry B. Thompson, Ph.D., Chancellor
The Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas"The education of quality instructional leaders for Texas public schools of the twenty-first century is important to the economic well-being of all Texans. Dave Erlandson has conceptualized an exciting new process to develop first-class instructional leaders. I applaud and support his efforts."
About the Report
The bound 48-page document includes an executive summary, a letter of introduction by Valleau Wilkie, a preface by the author, information about the author, a bibliography of referenced materials, and appendixes containing performance domains of the principalship, accepted standards for school leaders, proficiencies for school administrators, and a summary of current activities around the state of Texas involving principal preparation. The report is printed on recycled paper.
Other Reports
Other reports sponsored by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Forum: The Professional Development School: A Commonsense Approach to Improving Education (April 1993); and Restructuring the University Reward System (April 1997).
To Order Reports
Copies of the reports are available without charge by writing, calling, or faxing the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, 309 Main Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-4088. Telephone: 817-336-0494; fax: 817-332-2176.