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The Academy | University of Michigan -- Flint

Obstacles

The prime source of urban and rural principal candidates – highly qualified and motivated teachers with sufficient experience and a demonstrated interest in school leadership – increasingly view the role and responsibilities of the urban and rural principal as too demanding and not sufficiently rewarding. The Academy is working with local districts to formulate incentives to compensate for this shortcoming. Participant response to the academic rigor of graduate level coursework was in many instances inadequate. Individual performance plans were constructed to remedy deficiencies.

A large percentage of participants were not sufficiently prepared to use information technology effectively, particularly in chronically under-performing schools. Training was provided to enable participants to better use technological tools and services in the learning process.

Consideration for women and minority perspectives that has led to significant gaps the knowledge base used in the preparation and ongoing professional development of school administrators was evident. Programming and curricula has been meaningfully and consistently inputted through an advisory group of practicing principals reflecting these perspectives. Urban and rural principals do not see their work or their roles in districts in a larger context. The Academy will continue to advocate for principals to be viewed within their buildings and the district as a whole as chief executive officers of an enterprise whose product – education – is crucial to the success of virtually all other endeavors. Urban and rural principals must have a clearer vision of the impact that involved communities can have in the success of schools and, more importantly, in the success of children. Shared training opportunities for school and community partners would promote mutual understanding of issues and concerns and the development of the collaborative means to address them.

More Information

Issues and Challenges | Costs | Program Evaluation

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e-Lead provides information on professional-development programs for school leaders that have submitted detailed information and that also meet certain standards-based criteria. Programs listed at the e-Lead website are not endorsed by either the Institute for Educational Leadership or Temple University's Laboratory for Student Success.