CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The characteristics of good school principals were at the heart of discussions in the Capital City during the state Board of Education’s first ever School Leadership Stakeholder Meeting on Tuesday.
“The movement is to think about how we can help develop and support principals beyond just being sort of building managers,” said Cortney Rowland, education division senior policy analyst for the National Governors Association.
“(So they’re) Real instructional leaders, so they’re in classrooms. They’re developing and supporting their teachers.”
The event was part of a National Governors Association policy assistance and grant project.
Along with school principals, those who were included in the talks about the importance of principals and other school leaders and ways to support them included representatives from teacher groups, higher education, the Council of Chief State School Officers and others.
A strong school leadership structure, state officials have said, is as important to student achievement as high quality teachers.
Rowland agreed and said that’s why school principals must be properly prepared, developed and supported.
“It’s something that has to be dealt with in terms of policy and program, but also really changing, shifting our mindset around what the rules of the school leader really are,” she said.
In her NGA role, Rowland supports state policymakers in designing and implementing high-quality management systems for teachers and school leaders with focuses on educator standards, preparation, recruitment and retention, evaluation and support and compensation.
Rowland was a guest on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”