New Regulations on No Child Left Behind Aren't Enough

Conspicuously absent from proposals to amend NCLB are references to school and school district leadership. NCLB talks about "highly qualified teachers," but is silent on the topic of "highly qualified principals." This is an odd and troubling omission. Those of us who have worked in public education understand deeply the influence that a school principal has on the performance of teachers and students. There is an old saying that goes, "show me a great school and I'll show you a great principal." If we are to reform American public education in any meaningful and comprehensive way, we need to promote and support reforms in the way we train school principals. There are a few notable examples of such efforts (e.g., Delta State University, New York City Schools, New Leaders for New Schools, and Cal Poly Pomona). The sad truth is that for most principals, college preparation programs are largely irrelevant in the development of leadership skills. Through NCLB, Congress has a powerful venue to impact school leadership policy development on a national scale. Great schools require both great teachers AND great leaders.