School Leadership

School leadership is second only to teaching among school-related factors in its impact on student learning, according to research. Moreover, principals strongly shape the conditions for high-quality teaching and are the prime factor in determining whether teachers stay in high-needs schools. High-quality principals, therefore, are vital to the effectiveness of our nation’s public schools, especially those serving the children with the fewest advantages in life.

Browse the reports and other resources on these pages for insights into school leadership and how to improve it.

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Evidence-based Considerations for COVID-19 Reopening and Recovery Planning: The Role of Principal Leadership in School Recovery and Reopening	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Evidence-based-Considerations-COVID-19-Reopening-Recovery-Planning-The-Role-of-Principal-Leadership.aspx	Evidence-based Considerations for COVID-19 Reopening and Recovery Planning: The Role of Principal Leadership in School Recovery and Reopening	Effective principals are an essential part of school reopening and learning acceleration. <br>	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Wallace-Foundation-Brief-Importance-Principal-Lead-COVID-19-Reopening-Recovery-w-Annotated-Bib-March-2021-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Wallace-Foundation-Brief-Importance-Principal-Lead-COVID-19-Reopening-Recovery-w-Annotated-Bib-March-2021-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	3/30/2021 4:00:00 AM
How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/How-Principals-Affect-Students-and-Schools-A-Systematic-Synthesis-of-Two-Decades-of-Research.aspx	How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research	An effective principal’s impact is stronger and broader than previously thought, making it “difficult to envision” a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leadership, according to this research synthesis. <br>	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/How-Principals-Affect-Students-and-Schools-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/How-Principals-Affect-Students-and-Schools-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	2/16/2021 5:00:00 AM
Principal Pipeline Self-Study Guide for Districts	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Principal-Pipeline-Self-Study-Guide-for-Districts.aspx	Principal Pipeline Self-Study Guide for Districts	This guide is designed to help school districts take stock of and improve their policies, processes and structures related to school leadership.<br>	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Guide	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Principal-Pipeline-Self-Study-Guide-Districts-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Principal-Pipeline-Self-Study-Guide-Districts-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	2/15/2021 5:00:00 AM
Using State-level Policy Levers to Promote Principal Quality	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Using-State-level-Policy-Levers-to-Promote-Principal-Quality.aspx	Using State-level Policy Levers to Promote Principal Quality	To try to improve leadership of their schools, seven states have pulled a number of policy levers, from updating principal job standards to changing administrator licensing. <br>	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Using-State-level-Policy-Levers-to-Promote-Principal-Quality-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Using-State-level-Policy-Levers-to-Promote-Principal-Quality-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	11/17/2020 5:00:00 AM
Trends in Principal Supervisor Leadership and Support	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Trends-in-Principal-Supervisor-Leadership-and-Support.aspx	Trends in Principal Supervisor Leadership and Support	Findings from two surveys, fielded six years apart, provide indications that large school districts nationwide are redesigning the principal supervisor job to focus more on principal support.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/TRENDS-IN-PRINCIPAL-SUPERVISOR-LEADERSHIP-AND-SUPPORT-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/TRENDS-IN-PRINCIPAL-SUPERVISOR-LEADERSHIP-AND-SUPPORT-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/21/2020 4:00:00 AM
Changing the Principal Supervisor Role to Better Support Principals: Evidence from the Principal Supervisor Initiative	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Changing-the-Principal-Supervisor-Role-to-Better-Support-Principals.aspx	Changing the Principal Supervisor Role to Better Support Principals: Evidence from the Principal Supervisor Initiative	After six school districts worked intensively to change the principal supervisor job to focus on helping principals support high-quality instruction, principals reported that their supervisors were more effective. Teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s performance remained largely the same.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Changing-the-Principal-Supervisor-Role-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Changing-the-Principal-Supervisor-Role-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/21/2020 4:00:00 AM
Leading the Change: A Comparison of the Principal Supervisor Role in Principal Supervisor Initiative Districts and Other Urban Districts	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Leading-the-Change-A-Comparison-of-the-Principal-Supervisor-Role.aspx	Leading the Change: A Comparison of the Principal Supervisor Role in Principal Supervisor Initiative Districts and Other Urban Districts	Six districts in an initiative to refocus the principal supervisor job from administration to principal support had more structures to buttress the reconceived job than other districts, a survey finds, although supervisor practices across all the districts were similar—perhaps suggesting districts nationwide are taking steps to change the job.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Leading-the-Change-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Leading-the-Change-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/21/2020 4:00:00 AM
Unpacking the Federal Response to COVID-19 in Education	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Unpacking-the-Federal-Response-to-COVID-19-in-Education.aspx	Unpacking the Federal Response to COVID-19 in Education	What’s in the CARES Act and What May Come Next?	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Video	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Wallace-EdCounsel_CARES-Act-Webinar-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/1/2020 4:00:00 AM
Taking Stock of Principal Pipelines: What Public School Districts Report Doing and What They Want to Do to Improve School Leadership	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Taking-Stock-of-Principal-Pipelines.aspx	Taking Stock of Principal Pipelines: What Public School Districts Report Doing and What They Want to Do to Improve School Leadership	School district chiefs believe effective school leadership is key to improving education, but only about half are satisfied with the pool of candidates in their principal pipelines, according to this first-of-its-kind national survey.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Taking-Stock-of-Principal-Pipelines-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Taking-Stock-of-Principal-Pipelines-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	6/23/2020 4:00:00 AM
Effectively Communicating About Principal Pipelines: Key Findings From Qualitative Research With Superintendents, School Board Members and State Education Officials	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Effectively-Communicating-About-Principal-Pipelines.aspx	Effectively Communicating About Principal Pipelines: Key Findings From Qualitative Research With Superintendents, School Board Members and State Education Officials	Education officials agree that principals are critical to school success and have a “resoundingly positive” reaction to the idea of principal pipelines, but market research suggests a need to build understanding of what a comprehensive pipeline looks like.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Slide Presentation	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Effectively-Communicating-About-Principal-Pipelines-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Effectively-Communicating-About-Principal-Pipelines-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	4/1/2020 4:00:00 AM

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