School principals are the
most trusted leaders in the country – more than military and
religious leaders and local elected officials, survey data show.
They are extraordinarily important to students’ academic success.
Principals are
second only to teachers among the factors during the school
day that affect student learning, research indicates.
They set the tone and climate in schools, hire teachers, develop
school schedules, and are akin to middle-managers in school
systems, carrying out and disseminating the district’s directives
and priorities to teachers, parents, students and school
communities.
However, long working hours, high-stakes accountability measures,
federal and state mandates, and lack of autonomy have contributed
to an annual 18% turnover
rate—a phenomenon that’s more acute in schools with high
enrollment of low-income students and in rural and urban areas.
Leadership churn can lower
student achievement, dampen teacher morale, and increase
teacher turnover.
Most principals are former teachers, with several years of
teaching under their belts. They typically attended a two-year
preparation program and passed a state licensure exam.
While many school districts have formal programs to steer
talented teachers into school leadership, it’s often up to
aspiring principals to forge their own paths.
That’s one reason why the principalship has remained predominantly
white – 78% are white—even as students of color make up
54%
of those enrolled in K-12 public schools.
Though the majority of principals
are women—54% — they are still underrepresented in school
leadership relative to their presence in the teaching workforce,
where women make up more
than three-quarters of educators.
The mismatch between the race of school leaders and their
students continues to be a challenge for schools and districts
even as research increasingly shows the benefits of same-race teachers and
educators for students
and teachers.
Principals are great sources for journalists on all sorts of
issues. They can provide valuable insights based on their
on-the-ground experience and steer reporters to important
stories. In addition, there are important stories to be told
about the principalship itself.
Reporters can look for stories on efforts to make the principal’s
job manageable; how principals engage with their communities,
especially during fraught public debates; how principals
incorporate student voices in decision-making and approach school
discipline and other equity issues; and how principals empower
teachers. Don’t overlook the role assistant principals play in
schools.
This resource page will help reporters understand the principal’s
job, contemporary challenges, and what the research says.
Published: November 2021
73rd EWA National Seminar
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat.
This multi-day conference is designed to give participants the skills, understanding, and inspiration to improve their coverage of education at all levels. It also will deliver a lengthy list of story ideas. We will offer numerous sessions on important education issues, as well as on journalism skills.
The Science of Reading and School Leadership
The newest round of test scores on NAEP, dubbed the “nation’s report card,” show that only about one-third of U.S. fourth and eighth graders are proficient in reading. The data come amid heightened concern that reading instruction is frequently out of step with decades of scientific research.
How Can Districts Find and Keep Effective Principals?
Effective school principals are hard to find and to keep, and turnover is a serious challenge.
But school districts that put their minds to it can create a sustainable leader pipeline. Students score higher, and principals stay on the job longer in districts that make diligent efforts to select, prepare and mentor principals, according to a multi-year study, released in April, by the RAND Corporation, a public policy research firm.
72nd EWA National Seminar
Baltimore • May 6-8, 2019
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat. This year’s event in Baltimore, hosted by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education, will explore an array of timely topics of interest to journalists from across the country, with a thematic focus on student success, safety, and well-being.
What You Missed at the #ewaTEACH18 Seminar in Chicago
Journalists from across the Great Lakes region and the U.S. gathered in Chicago Oct. 18-19 to learn more about the teaching profession during a time of transition for the field, and to get story ideas and inspiration.
The event explored the recent surge of teacher activism across the country and the growing mismatch between teacher diversity and student diversity. Reporters also explored teacher prep, teacher evaluation, and dived into data on teacher pensions, salaries, and absenteeism.
Agenda: 2018 Seminar on the Teaching Profession
Chicago • October 18-19, 2018
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Unless otherwise noted, all Thursday events take place in Room 304 of The University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center.
Strength in Numbers: Schools Team Up to Focus on Student Improvement
Solving complex problems requires buy-in by campus leaders, experts say
For decades, most efforts to improve opportunities for high-needs students have resembled snowflakes; they come down from above, are completely different from each other, complicate routines, and rarely stick.
However, experts gathered at EWA’s annual conference in Los Angeles this year said at least one kind of reform has a good chance of making long-lasting gains: “school improvement networks.”
The Fall of Forrest Claypool as Chicago Schools Chief
Investigative Reporting: General News Outlets, Print and Online
About the Entry
Reporters at the Chicago Sun-Times pursued a dogged investigation of the chief executive of the nation’s third-largest school district, shedding light on allegations of kickbacks schemes and ethics violations that led to his dismissal.
Coaches’ Use of Homeless Athletes Draws Scrutiny
Investigative Reporting: General News Outlets, Print and Online (Large Staff)
About the Entry
A tip from a source led Claudia Rowe of The Seattle Times to discover that some high school sports officials appeared to be trying to improve their teams by gaming protections for homeless students — getting star athletes to declare themselves homeless so that they’d be able to transfer and play immediately.
How Careful Data Analysis, Shoe-Leather Reporting Exposed Inflated Graduation Rates
It began with a feel-good story: A struggling high school in Washington, D.C., had turned itself around and was sending all its seniors to college. When a reporter dug deeper, however, she discovered that many students should not have qualified to graduate—one in five had even missed more than half the school year.
Questions to Ask as Schools Weigh Response to Student Walkouts
With student-led protests for stricter gun laws spreading, journalists probe districts' policies, preparedness
In the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, a groundswell of student activism has jolted the gun control debate and left some school districts coping with the surge of civic engagement.
For education journalists, the developments present an opportunity to examine how local schools and districts are responding to and preparing for student demonstrations and walkouts. Are they encouraging students? Threatening to suspend them? Struggling to come up with a clear strategy?
Does Trump’s Education Budget Even Matter?
Big cuts to popular programs, boosting school choice proposed
President Trump’s proposed federal budget, unveiled Monday, calls for major cuts to existing education programs and a huge increase for school choice initiatives. The first question stemming from his blueprint is this: How seriously will Congress take his administration’s plan, even with Republicans controlling both chambers?
This Reporter Found School District’s Secret ‘Blacklist’
Qualified teachers say they were unfairly kept out of Tucson Public Schools' classrooms (EWA Radio: Episode 156)
For decades, rumors swirled that the Tucson, Arizona, school district had a secret roster of former employees on a “do not hire” list, even though they never had faced serious disciplinary measures. Arizona Daily Star education reporter Hank Stephenson put some mysterious pieces together and brought the list to light. Among the clues: an off-hand comment Stephenson heard by a trustee at the close of a school board meeting.
Our Top 10 Blog Posts: From Open Records to Betsy DeVos
Principal leadership, innovative schools, teacher diversity top the list
The most popular Educated Reporter blog posts of 2017 covered a wide range of subjects, from tips for tackling the intricacies of the beat to getting a grasp on what the Trump administration will mean for federal policy, schools, teachers, and students.
71st EWA National Seminar
Los Angeles • May 16-18, 2018
EWA’s National Seminar is the largest annual gathering of journalists on the education beat. This multiday conference provides participants with top-notch training delivered through dozens of interactive sessions on covering education from early childhood through graduate school. Featuring prominent speakers, engaging campus visits, and plentiful networking opportunities, this must-attend conference provides participants with deeper understanding of the latest developments in education, a lengthy list of story ideas, and a toolbox of sharpened journalistic skills.
What is XQ and Why Is It Spending $100 Million to Reinvent High School?
Russlynn Ali discusses the foundation-backed 'Super School' project with journalists
At a gathering of education writers last week, the Emerson Collective’s Russlynn Ali walked not one but several fine lines, promising an “open source” ethos when sharing lessons gleaned from the group’s XQ Super School Project, but declining to commit the private philanthropy to transparency in its political spending and investments in education technology companies.
When Teachers Say ‘#MeToo’
Sexual harassment, school climate in the spotlight
As a growing number of high-profile men in politics, the media, and entertainment industry face allegations of sexual misconduct, individuals who say they’ve experienced similar harassment in other professions are speaking up — including K-12 teachers.
‘Raising Kings’: A Portrait of an Urban High School for Young Men of Color
Education Week-NPR series features social-emotional learning and restorative justice at new D.C. campus
Can schools ever fully fill the gaps in students’ life experiences that often keep them from succeeding in school? Two reporters, Education Week’s Kavitha Cardoza and Cory Turner of NPR, spent hundreds of hours at Ron Brown College Prep, a new boys-only public high school in Washington, D.C. that primarily serves students of color.
Girls Outscore Boys in the Middle East on Math and Science. But That’s Not the Whole Story.
Amanda Ripley, a New York Times bestselling author, discusses gender gaps and student motivation
When U.S. education experts look overseas for ideas and inspiration, they usually turn to places like Finland and Singapore. But journalist Amanda Ripley recently traveled instead to the Middle East to get underneath some surprising data about gender gaps in a recent story for The Atlantic. More specifically, why do girls in Jordan and Oman earn better grades and test scores than boys, even without the promise of lucrative jobs?
A School District Ignored Teacher’s Misconduct. This Reporter Didn’t.
EWA Radio: Episode 141
Bethany Barnes of The Oregonian discusses “The Benefit of the Doubt,” her investigation into how Portland Public Schools botched its handling of multiple allegations of a middle school teacher’s sexual misconduct stretching back more than a decade.