States are not demanding high-quality and rigorous criteria when approving principal preparation programs

The Principal Policy State Survey is a first-of-its-kind effort to capture the current state of affairs in state principal preparation, licensure policy, principal tenure, and data collection on the output of these policies.

The report's conclusion:

Principals are a critical force in school improvement in that they are responsible for attracting
and retaining teacher talent and driving the improvement of student learning. Despite the fact
that states play a key role in cultivating school leaders, in too many cases they are not effectively
using their principal preparation and licensure oversight authority to increase the quality
and quantity of school leaders. In general, states are not demanding high-quality and rigorous
criteria when approving principal preparation programs or using the licensure process to
validate and confirm that principals are indeed ready for the job and effective once employed
as campus leaders.

There is also a troubling absence of metrics and data on principal supply overall, whether
preparation programs are actually producing principals who have an impact in schools, and
whether licensure requirements are meaningful. This lack of information prohibits states from
making good decisions regarding the supply and training of school leaders.