Urban school district officials can improve the way principals are trained and developed, according to a new report commissioned by The Wallace Foundation. Districts Developing Leaders: Lessons on Consumer Actions and Program Approaches from Eight Urban Districts examines districts that exercise their power as “consumers” to change how university-based school leadership programs better meet their needs.
Conducted by researchers at Education Development Center, Inc. and Bank Street College, the report examines the efforts of urban school systems to reshape leadership programs in Boston; Chicago; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Jefferson County, Ky.; Providence, R.I.; St. Louis; Springfield, Ill.; and Springfield, Mass. By using “consumer” models, the districts were able to either influence leader-preparation programs or go into the preparation business themselves.
All the reports in this series, including a Wallace summary of the study, are free and can be downloaded from The Wallace Foundation’s Knowledge Center at www.wallacefoundation.org.
