Support
School Management - Policy Lever
Essence
This policy lever measures the extent to which principals receive training and/or exposure to other professional opportunities that could help them be better school leaders. The questions assess whether such programs are provided, and if they are, at what level of quality.
Indicator
A score ranging from 1 to 5, calculated based on 7 questions. Responses are scored according to a rubric that considers the factors associated with good support systems for principals. Two scores are reported: one for de jure policy existence and one for de facto policy implementation.
Background
Equipping principals with the skills they need to succeed in their role as school leaders to ensure they can carry out all the responsibilities that fall under their purview is crucial. As is the case with teachers, being effective as a principal is the result of specific preparation and training. There are many studies that show that more effective principals make a significant difference in school outcomes (Boyd et al. 2011; Branch, Hanushek, and Rivkin 2012; Grissom 2011; Ladd 2011; Loeb, Kalogrides, and Béteille 2012). A principal scoring one standard deviation above the mean for principal effectiveness could increase the mean student achievement from the 50th to the 58th percentile (Branch, Hanushek, and Rivkin 2012). Therefore, developing training and learning opportunities that will help principals better their skills can have a substantial impact on their effectiveness, and thus on student outcomes. This is further corroborated by recent studies that have shown that providing principals with effective and relevant training opportunities results in improvements in their performance as well as student outcomes (Fryer 2017; Fryer 2014).
Policy Survey
School Survey
Instrument Used for Measurement
Measurement Approach
A series of 8 questions (3 de jure and 4 de facto) make up this indicator. They are all included in the School Management module that is part of the School Survey as well as the Policy Survey. Together, they capture the extent to which principals receive training that is relevant for their day-to-day activities as well as the quality of those trainings. The questions include:
(de facto) Have you ever received formal training on how to manage a school?
(de facto) If so, what type of training have you received?
(de facto) Thinking back to the last training you had on how to manage a school, have you used the skills you gained at that training?
(de facto) Thinking of the past year, how many trainings and professional development courses have been offered to principals?
Instrument Sources
Systems Approach for Better Education Outcomes – Service Delivery (SABER-SD)
Newly developed, but inspired by Borden 2002