Certification
Standards for School Principals? Definitely!
Certification Will Lead to Improved
Student Achievement
by Helene J. Lusa, Ed.D,
Principal, Tyler Elementary School, Livonia, Michigan
The stylist who cuts and colors hair has one, along with the
mechanic who repairs automobiles. The family physician and the
classroom teacher both have one. Even the gasoline that Michigan
drivers pump into their cars has one proudly posted on the pump.
All of these occupations and commodities require certification
or licensing from the State of Michigan guaranteeing that they
meet certain standards for skill, performance, or quality set
by the government. Noticeably absent from this list is the school
building principal, the person charged with the tremendous responsibility
of enhancing student achievement in Michigan schools. Given the
demands for improving student learning, the accountability tied
to those demands, and the diverse skills needed to lead a school
each day, it’s time for Michigan to reinstate a process for
certifying or licensing school principals.
The legislature rescinded certification requirements for school
administrators in 1995. The last valid administrative license
expired in 2001. The elimination of certification requirements
was intended to open the door for leaders from other professions
to come in and improve student achievement. However, leaders from
the business world and other professions did not rush to apply
for principalships. Currently, building principals are only required
to complete six educational credit hours or 18 State Board Continuing
Education Units (CEUs) over a five-year period before and while
serving as a principal.
Some might argue that there will be—if there isn’t
already—a shortage of qualified principals, and requiring
certification will only make that worse. Certification can be
voluntary—giving school districts a choice between a candidate
who is certified and one who is not. To ease existing or potential
shortages, non-traditional routes to certification could be made
available for those candidates from another profession who choose
school administration. A state-adopted process for certification
would ensure that potential principals meet specific standards
and give school districts some confidence in their skills.
 Currently,
school districts can choose between a candidate who is certified
and one who is not; however, since Michigan does not currently
offer certification, the only certified candidates for a position
come from outside the state. Principal certification will only
be reinstated with legislative approval. Hand in hand with legislative
approval is State Board of Education approval of standards for
institutions of higher education principal preparation programs.
In August 2003, the Board directed the Michigan Department of
Education’s Office of Professional Preparation Services staff
to develop these standards and a legislative strategy to establish
school principal certification in Michigan law.
Appropriate standards for school principals already exist in
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISSLC)
adopted in 1996 by the Council of Chief State School Officers
(CCSSO), a nationwide nonprofit organization. At least 34 states
have used these standards to license or certify school principals.
Some states (including Texas) use these standards for induction
purposes and others for evaluation. The National Association of
Elementary School Principals (NAESP) published its own set of
standards for principals at the elementary and middle school levels
in 2002 with the publication of Leading
Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know
and Be Able to Do. Certification based on such a specific
set of standards would guarantee students and their families that
the instructional leader of their school is qualified to direct
the effort to improve student achievement.
Improving student achievement is the primary responsibility of
all school building principals. To help meet this responsibility,
principals need skills in instructional leadership, professional
development, and facilitating teacher improvement. Principals
also need an understanding of curriculum frameworks and assessment
and their relationship to instruction. The demands to meet state
and national goals inherent in No
Child Left Behind and Education
YES!, the need for leadership skills to support teachers
as they work to improve student achievement, and the rapid growth
in information and technology challenging educators and students
today all support the need to restore school principal certification
in Michigan. Providing the opportunity for certification will
not deter or discourage the prospective principal. It will foster
the skills and confidence needed in those individuals challenged
to lead instruction in Michigan’s public schools. The
State Board of Education Task Force on Elevating Educational Leadership
has done an excellent job of reviewing the current status of principal
certification in Michigan and has made strong initial recommendations.
The time has come for Michigan to provide principals with the
opportunity to meet specific standards for school leadership.
I call on the State Board of Education, the Michigan Legislature,
and Governor Granholm to work with the Task Force to re-establish
a certification process for school principals.
Helene J. Lusa, Ed.D, is
a representative of the Michigan Elementary and Middle School
Principals Association (MEMSPA) who advocated in favor of principal
certification at the Michigan State Board of Education meeting
on August 28, 2003.
For more information, contact: Joanne Welihan,
Executive Director, Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals
Association (MEMSPA), 1980 N. College Rd., Mason, MI 48854, (800)
227-0824, fax (517) 694-8945 or e-mail joanne@memspa.org.
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