School principals play an important role in student success, but a new national study suggests that many principals do not receive enough opportunities to continue developing their leadership skills.
The Wallace Foundation-supported report, Understanding the Landscape of Professional Learning for School Principals, was conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Washington. The researchers interviewed 63 principals in Connecticut, Tennessee, and Washington and surveyed 998 public-school principals nationwide.
According to the report, decades of research have established that a principal's effectiveness is connected to outcomes for students and teachers, including student achievement, attendance, and discipline. The report also identifies four areas of leadership that previous research has linked most closely to student success: working with teachers around instruction, building a productive school climate, facilitating teacher collaboration, and strategic management.
Morgaen Donaldson, an associate dean for research at UConn's Neag School of Education and one of the report's authors, told UConn Today, "Principals’ professional learning is so important because they are really the primary drivers of schools."
The new study examined how principals continue learning once they are in their jobs. Researchers found that principals participate in both formal and informal learning. Formal opportunities include workshops, networks, mentoring, and coaching. Informal learning can include talking with colleagues, participating in text groups, listening to podcasts, reading independently, and learning through daily work. The report found that informal learning occurred more frequently and was often viewed by principals as more useful to their immediate needs.
Instructional leadership was the most common focus of principals' professional learning. According to the researchers, principals also rated learning about instruction as the most useful to their work. Other areas, including school climate, teacher collaboration, strategic management, and equity, received less attention.
The researchers also found differences in professional learning opportunities. Rural principals reported slightly less access to formal learning than urban principals, while early-career principals reported more opportunities, particularly coaching and mentoring. Black principals reported more opportunities across all learning modes.
Time was one of the major barriers. The report says principals identified "time limitations and the many demands of the role" as obstacles to additional professional learning.
The researchers recommend that districts make professional learning more relevant to principals' daily work, help leaders find learning opportunities that meet their individual needs, encourage informal learning among principals, and reduce barriers such as insufficient time.
The report does not directly test whether additional principal professional learning leads to higher student achievement. Instead, it examines the professional learning principals receive and connects that issue to previous research on effective school leadership and student outcomes. The report notes that an earlier Wallace Foundation review found that high-quality professional development can have positive effects on principals' leadership practices and student learning.
For schools focused on student achievement, the findings suggest that supporting principals' continued learning may be an important part of strengthening school leadership. As the report states, principals need "ongoing professional support and learning opportunities" to remain effective as the demands of the job change.
