0.17 Tareilo, j. (october 2011). the role of university leadership  (Page 3/5)

The advanced principal certification

The completion of prescribed courses in a leadership program and the passing of a standards-based test determine a candidate’s abilities to be a school leader and earns them the required state licensure as a principal in their respective states. Also, each state holds the power to determine admission standards, the content of principal preparation programs, and requirements for certification (The Wallace Foundation, 2008). Once a graduate assumes the role of principal, there is little in place to determine his or her effectiveness as an instructional leader, his or her knowledge of the grade level curriculum standards, and his or her ability to assess effective teaching standards and practices. A standardized means of recognizing a principal’s effectiveness would “create a consistent and reliable way to measure the attributes of effective principals” (NBPTS, n.d.c, para. 5).

The responsibility for school and student success rests not only with preparation programs but with the practicing principals themselves. Seeking the advanced certification will require them to apply the knowledge they received through their leaderships program as well as use their innate abilities to increase student success while maintaining high levels of accomplishments in other areas such as teacher effectiveness, community awareness, and the creation of a positive school climate (Maxwell, 2009).

Few people in and out of the education profession would dispute the fact that the role and responsibilities of the school leader are vast and challenging. Traditional responsibilities of the campus administrator include managing the facilities and resources, keeping children safe, performing ceremonial duties, addressing parental concerns, and awareness of instructional requirements (Herrington&Wills, 2005).

Mounting state and federal mandates, the impact of college and career readiness standards, and changing demographics, just to mention a few, make the principalship less and less attractive as a professional career move. Additionally, the pressing duties of the principalship create difficult situations for school districts when trying to “retain effective and experienced administrators” (Connelly&Tirozzi, n.d., para. 7). Tirozzi (2011) sees the advanced certification as a way to recognize instructional leaders for their efforts to become experts in the field of school leadership whose focus is and remains continued student success. He adds that a principal who possess this certification will be very marketable and “could someday name his or her price” (p. 2).

Connecting leadership programs and the advanced certification

Introspective thought, examination of course content and increased expectations all stand as viable means for leadership programs to address their current functions and impact in preparing future school leaders. In addition, principal preparation programs must be cognizant of the outside forces such as political pressures and public accountability (Cowie&Crawford, 2007) when examining the intent and content of their programs. Therefore, open communication with and between the entities that are working to bring about an advanced certification and the university systems that prepare principals becomes crucial.