蜜桃影视

When it comes to school reform, everyone has their go-to聽solution. for community schools. on school choice.聽Still that closing failing schools is an essential step.

Truth be told, much of the solution is already in schools nationwide. When education leaders have the support and training they need, student outcomes soar. The recent dramatic turnaround of Chicago’s schools gives new evidence for a leadership-focused approach, and experts believe that dedicated investments in school CEOs helped fuel the Windy City’s academic reversal.

Whether building a nonprofit or developing the next iteration of the iPhone, effective leaders get things done. A few districts like Chicago have taken up the issue of educational leadership. But many education systems are still at astounding rates. In fact, nearly 50 percent of school CEOs leave during their third year in the role.

If America truly wants a world-class education system, it must strengthen and retain excellent school and district leaders. After all, great leaders are at the center of great schools, and strong principals can have a large impact on student . What鈥檚 more, principal turnover is 鈥� nearly $75,000 a hire 鈥� a burden that disproportionately affects our lowest-performing schools.

School leaders play a powerful role in the development of teachers. Teachers a lack of strong principal leadership as one of their main stressors, and many leave the profession due to a lack of administrative support. Among teachers who recently left one mid-America school system, half cited as the reason.

Clearly, investing in leadership and talent development for schools and districts benefits students and teachers alike. But not nearly enough has been done. Many principals do not their jobs sustainable and often work 80-hour weeks. As for the job of a superintendent, one Pennsylvania school system head as 鈥渆ssentially a 24-hour-a-day position.鈥�

Other fields know the value of great leadership, so they provide good paychecks and robust support. A colonel in the United States Army as much as $135,000 annually while receiving extensive . In business, the examples are even more robust. American companies nearly $14 billion to leadership development each year.

Reformers in other nations have committed to improving their school leaders. , for example, has rolled out programs to develop future school leaders, while has a rigorous career ladder that ensures that strong teachers have the opportunity to become teacher leaders. In , Canada, teachers who want to become principals undergo their own training regimen 鈥� the Principal鈥檚 Qualification Program 鈥� that focuses on leadership and managerial skills.

So what’s to be done? The 2015 renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act, the nation鈥檚 landmark education law 鈥� also known as the 鈥� offers new opportunities, among them to create leadership training programs.

States now must step up to the plate and roll out better, more targeted programs. This includes ongoing professional development around everything from time management to fiscal strategy. Education leaders also need opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues to learn best practices and grow as professionals.

There are some promising steps in the right direction. The , for instance, offers principals in the district a 12-month program designed to increase their leadership skills, and a of recently released evaluations have found that the program is one reason for the recent jump in student outcomes in the city, which now the nation in student growth.

Here at , we are investing $230 million in a leadership institute that works with districts over five years to build leadership capacity and develop top talent. We have also put our staff into schools so principals can receive job-embedded support. Over the next 10 years, we hope to serve 30 districts, 1,500 principals, and 3,000 school leaders in our home state of Texas.

It鈥檚 not easy to be an excellent school leader, to be sure. To be , they must set visionary goals, establish high standards, and manage a diverse set of stakeholders from students to school board members. Leaders also, in the words of former principal , need 鈥渢o help teachers become better teachers.鈥�

Whether in a conference room or a classroom, we know leadership matters. Principals and superintendents are critical to the success of millions of students across the country. If we really want to invest in students 鈥� and our country鈥檚 future 鈥� the nation must prioritize great school leaders.

Kate Rogers is executive vice president of The Holdsworth Center.

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