Alabama Education Policy Primer

TOC	Table of Contents
Intro	Introduction by Kenneth K.Wong and James W. Guthrie
Ch. 1	Accountability, Assessments, and Standards
Ch. 2	Achievement
Ch. 3	Closing the Achievement Gap
Ch. 4	Finance and Funding
Ch. 5	Governance and Policymaking
Ch. 6	Math, Science and Technology
Ch. 7	No Child Left Behind (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
Ch. 8	Reading and Writing
Ch. 9	School Choice
Ch. 10	School Leadership
Ch. 11	Teaching Quality
- - -	Education-ary

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Alabama Education Policy Primer

Ch. 10: School Leadership

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Overview
Demands for increased student achievement, greater accountability and school-wide reform dominate conversations in education at the national, state and local levels. Pressures for reform have shifted the focus from students to teachers and most recently to principals and district personnel. There is a widespread belief that better school leadership is needed if the ambitious achievement standards for student learning are to be realized.

Educational accountability and research have changed what successful school leaders need to know and be able to do. Developing principals who are effective at their job requires changes in how school leaders are prepared, developed and supported. Researchers and educators alike understand that the leadership skills of both superintendents and central office personnel are vital for improving student learning and teacher instruction. However the focus of this chapter is on the principal, as the principal is the school leader who has the most direct influence on instruction and learning. Included in this chapter are a general overview of the changing role of the principal, the current research on characteristics of quality administrative leadership and administrative training, and the distribution of those qualities in Alabama. Armed with this information, policymakers can better understand of the necessity of improving school leadership in Alabama.