Michigan Principals Have Standards Too

The State Board of Education received the report of the Elevating Educational Leadership Advisory Panel on August 28, 2003. The report recommended that certification of school principals be reinstated. In response, the State Board of Education passed a motion to have the Office of Professional Preparation Services complete the process of developing standards for principal preparation programs, based on the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), by January 2004.

Through initial committee work and formal review, input was gathered from Michigan K-12 districts, professional educational organizations, and institutions of higher education between September and November 2003 in order to draft a set of standards to guide the development of programs to prepare school principals. All input was processed by the Principal Preparation Standards Development Committee and approved by the State Board of Education on February 10, 2004.

For a copy of these standards, visit the MDE Web site and click on Presentation of Standards for the Preparation of School Principals.

Leadership Skills Influence Student Achievement

According to the Mid-Continent Regional Laboratory (McREL), research indicates that leadership skills and practices influence virtually every school-related factor that relates significantly to student achievement. These include the extent to which the principal:

• Is directly involved in the design and implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.
• Involves teachers in the design and implementation of important decisions and policies.
• Fosters shared beliefs and a sense of community and cooperation.
• Monitors the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning.
• Is aware of the details and undercurrents in the running of the school and uses this information to address current and potential problems.
• Ensures that faculty and staff are aware of the most current theories and practices and makes the discussion of these a regular aspect of the school’s culture.

The McREL found a significant positive correlation between certain leadership practices and student achievement. The McREL authors also identified 21 specific leadership responsibilities significantly correlated with student achievement. To review the complete list, download Balanced Leadership: What 30 Years of Research Tells Us about the Effect of Leadership on Student Achievement.

Source: J.T. Waters, R.J. Marzano, and B.A. McNulty, B.A., Balanced Leadership: What 30 Years of Research Tells Us about The Effect of Leadership on Student Achievement (Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003).