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How Large and Small Districts Develop Their Principals: Selected Findings from the American School District Panel. American School District Panel. Research Report. RR-A956-35

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Bibliographic Details
Title: How Large and Small Districts Develop Their Principals: Selected Findings from the American School District Panel. American School District Panel. Research Report. RR-A956-35
Language: English
Authors: Anna Shapiro, Heather L. Schwartz, Samantha E. DiNicola, RAND Education and Labor, Arizona State University (ASU), Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
Source: RAND Corporation. 2025.
Availability: RAND Corporation. P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138. Tel: 877-584-8642; Tel: 310-451-7002; Fax: 412-802-4981; e-mail: order@rand.org; Web site: http://www.rand.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Wallace Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: School Districts, School District Size, Principals, Assistant Principals, Professional Development, Administrator Education, Leadership Training, Conferences (Gatherings), Communities of Practice, Workshops, Mentors, Supervisors, Coaching (Performance), Beginning Principals, Recruitment, Elementary Secondary Education, Socioeconomic Status, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Enrollment
DOI: 10.7249/RRA956-35
Abstract: In spring 2025, the authors surveyed 207 American School District Panel member districts about principal pipelines, preparations, and supports. In this report, the authors describe the principal pipeline in school districts across the United States and the prevalence of professional development (PD) targeted at building and strengthening high-quality school leaders within individual districts. These findings can inform state policymakers who are grappling with school leadership shortages by describing (1) where districts tend to find principals and (2) how that process varies by district characteristics and the types of PD that are most prevalent and for whom, including which PD opportunities districts should invest in for the future. These findings may also help universities that are redesigning pre-service leadership training programs by identifying gaps in leadership training offered by school districts. This report presents findings from the 207 school districts that answered the survey, which was fielded to a nationally representative sample of school districts in March 2025 through May 2025. To learn how districts invest in their principal pipelines--both for assistant principals and sitting principals--school districts were asked about six types of PD, ranging from less-resource-intensive offerings (paid time for conferences, professional learning communities, and trainings workshops) to more-resource-intensive offerings (principal supervisors, principal mentors, and professional coaching). In the survey, districts were asked whether they offered these types of PD for each of three roles: assistant principals, novice principals, and veteran principals.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED675316
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:In spring 2025, the authors surveyed 207 American School District Panel member districts about principal pipelines, preparations, and supports. In this report, the authors describe the principal pipeline in school districts across the United States and the prevalence of professional development (PD) targeted at building and strengthening high-quality school leaders within individual districts. These findings can inform state policymakers who are grappling with school leadership shortages by describing (1) where districts tend to find principals and (2) how that process varies by district characteristics and the types of PD that are most prevalent and for whom, including which PD opportunities districts should invest in for the future. These findings may also help universities that are redesigning pre-service leadership training programs by identifying gaps in leadership training offered by school districts. This report presents findings from the 207 school districts that answered the survey, which was fielded to a nationally representative sample of school districts in March 2025 through May 2025. To learn how districts invest in their principal pipelines--both for assistant principals and sitting principals--school districts were asked about six types of PD, ranging from less-resource-intensive offerings (paid time for conferences, professional learning communities, and trainings workshops) to more-resource-intensive offerings (principal supervisors, principal mentors, and professional coaching). In the survey, districts were asked whether they offered these types of PD for each of three roles: assistant principals, novice principals, and veteran principals.
DOI:10.7249/RRA956-35