2014-15 State of Education in Tennessee | Page 7

preparation program approval process that focuses on rigorous selection processes, a research-based curriculum, a high-quality clinical experience, and partnerships between preparation programs and local school districts. It is also critical to provide current principals with the support they need to be instructional leaders. The state should learn from existing district models of principal support and scale up best practices in other districts. CORE offices should convene regional professional learning communities, facilitating partnerships between districts with innovative support programs for principals with other districts looking to develop such programs. In order to inform improvement practices both in principal preparation programs and to better understand the nature of the principal labor market, it is essential for a comprehensive principal pipeline data system to be created. To ensure these data are collected and compiled, the State Board of Education should pass a policy that requires principal preparation programs to report key metrics and indicators to the state on an annual basis. These reports should include metrics such as selection criteria, job placement rates, and completers’ scores on the principal evaluation. THEC should work with its partners to compile these indicators and metrics to create a comprehensive data system on the principal pipeline. Just as teachers need high-quality feedback and support as a result of teacher evaluation, principals also need high-quality feedback and support as a result of principal evaluation. As the new principal evaluation is implemented, CORE offices and dis