An Analysis of Florida’s 67 District Principal Training Programs

• In Event: Developing Effective School and District Leaders

Abstract

Recent federal initiatives, such as Race-to-the-Top (RTT), has provided incentives for state and districts to further examine policies and programs to improve leadership in schools. Florida, among other states, has embarked upon principal reform efforts to increase student outcomes. The state is currently revisiting state and district policies regulating how principals are trained, certified, and evaluated. In conducting a descriptive analysis of the district training plans in each of Florida’s 67districts, we seek to answer the following question: What are the characteristics of district principal training programs in Florida? Findings of the study reveal variations across Florida’s district training programs, specifically in the depth and breadth of training experiences for principals and length of completion for training programs.

Authors

• LaTara D. Osborne-Lampkin, Florida State University

• Jessica Sidler Folsom, Florida State University

• Carolyn D. Herrington, Florida State University

• Stephan Christopher Cooley, Florida State University