Christine Campbell and Brock J. Grubb
National Charter School Research Project
June 2008
Because charter schools are (supposedly) free to chart their own academic and institutional courses, they need strong principals. But according to this report, we're doing a poor job of producing such capable leaders. NCSRP surveyed leaders at thirteen "specialty training programs for charter school leaders" that focus explicitly on preparing principals and asked them what they teach, how selective they are, what kind of mentoring they provide, etc. (Fordham took a similar approach in last year's survey of teacher alternative certification programs.) The findings were mixed. The authors were encouraged by the fact that the programs "put a special emphasis on apprenticeship and support," which traditional prep programs often lack. Several of the organizations also "differentiate training based on principal experience." And these programs are fairly selective, too; New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS), for instance, turns down ten applicants for every one it accepts. On the other hand, the report's authors still see three major weaknesses. First, these programs are simply "not focused on the areas in which principals say they need most help," namely "in-school politics, educating diverse populations... and preparing for increased testing and accountability." Instead, they spend an inordinate amount of time on topics like financial management. Second, due to the lack of data connecting student achievement to a principal's tenure, it is difficult to gauge just how effective these programs actually are. Finally, there "simply are not enough preparation programs or open slots to train the hundreds of new leaders needed every year to run charter schools." We need more preparation programs, but better ones. Thus, the authors suggest expanding the strongest programs, such as NLNS; seeking partnerships with universities; and expanding low-cost, online training. Read the report here.
