opportunities for principals in CORE regions to
INVEST IN TENNESSEE’S SCHOOL AND
DISTRICT LEADERS. Build and expand the
collaborate with one another and serve as mentors
for younger principals in their regions.
leadership pipeline in Tennessee, providing school
Create Effective Systems of Support for Aspiring,
and district leaders the preparation and support they
New, and Current Principals. The Tennessee
need to effectively meet the needs of their students
Department of Education should create an advisory
and teachers. Research has found that of all in-school
council to inform the process of improving principal
factors, a principal’s impact on student outcomes is
preparation in Tennessee. Additionally, SCORE and
second only to that of teachers.171 Even so, recent
the Tennessee Department of Education should work
research has found that state policymakers give more
together to build regional school leadership hubs
attention to teachers and teacher-related issues
that provide school leaders with regional networks
than to principals.172 This pattern of investment holds
of support. While the State Board of Education
true in Tennessee. While teachers are the single
recently passed a new Educator Preparation Policy
most influential in-school factor in student success,
to increase the rigor of Tennessee’s educator
principals are responsible for building positive school
preparation programs, the state has not invested
cultures, supporting teachers and teaching, and
parallel efforts in improving the rigor of its principal
ensuring that state initiatives succeed at the school
preparation programs. To better understand
and classroom levels.
the state of principal preparation in Tennessee,
173
For this reason, Tennessee
must increase its investment in school and district
the Tennessee Department of Education should
leadership across the state.
create an advisory council to inform improvements
in Tennessee’s principal pipeline. This advisory
Create High-Quality Professional Learning
council should ensure that shifts in policy and
Opportunities for Tennessee’s Principals. The
practice around Tennessee’s principal pipeline
Tennessee Department of Education should expand
result in expanded access to high-quality principal
access to leadership courses that provide incoming
preparation programs. High-quality programs should
and current principals with critical skillsets in
not only provide aspiring principals with high-quality
instructional leadership and building management.
instruction and clinical experiences while they are
During SCORE’s 2015 Listening Tour, principals
in the program, but should also provide graduates
consistently offered positive feedback on the state’s
with mentorship in their first two to three years as
leadership courses, noting that these professional
principals. Additionally, regional leadership hubs
learning opportunities provided them with important
should be established to support aspiring principals,
skills and information relevant to leading their
new principals, and veteran principals in their efforts
teachers and schools.174 The Tennessee Department
to transform instruction in schools across the
of Education should expand these leadership
state. SCORE’s collaboration with the department
courses to cover more topics and to provide more
can also focus on supporting and actively seeking
principals with access to these critical opportunities.
philanthropic and other funding opportunities to
Additionally, CORE Offices should work to create
increase regional hub support to lower financial
networks of support for principals, establishing
barriers for aspiring school leaders.
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