Interconnectedness of Elements of the Organization
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School-and-District-LeadershipWK3ART..pdf
www.ecs.org | @EdCommission
POLICY SNAPSHOT
What Is the Issue and Why Does It Matter? In the era of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), there has been heightened attention on the role that effective school and district leaders play in a wide range of issues, including school improvement, quality classroom instruction and broader discussions of equity. At the same time, districts across the country continue to experience high turnover rates for leadership — with the average tenure of a school principal being less than five years — and similar numbers for district superintendents.1 ESSA’s inclusion of new funding sources for states to invest in leadership, coupled with decades of research identifying the important roles leaders play in student success, have motivated states to look at new ways to support superintendents, principals and other school leaders. In fact, at least 24 states indicate that they intend to use these new funds to strengthen leadership through a variety of efforts, including pre-service training and on-the-job support.2 State activities to support school and district leaders extend beyond state ESSA plans as policymakers look at ways to advance these priorities through legislation.
In 2017, Education Commission of the States reviewed legislation related to school and district leadership and highlighted state examples, trends and key takeaways. Overall trends showed a strong interest in updating certification and licensure policies, with a particular focus on expanding non-traditional routes to certification. This Policy Snapshot summarizes 2018 legislative activities related to school and district leadership organized around the career continuum and includes legislation related to the following:
J Preparation, certification and licensure.
J Induction, mentoring and professional development.
J Evaluation.
J Compensation, incentives and contracts.
NOV 2018
Similar to 2017, legislative activity in 2018 shows a continued interest in increasing the ability of school and district leaders to enter the field, perform their jobs and advance in
their careers.
School and District Leadership
2018 School and District Leadership Legislation
This year, at least 36 states introduced legislation targeting superintendents, principals and other school leaders.
INTRODUCED
ENACTED
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POLICY SNAPSHOT SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
Preparation, Certification and Licensure COMPARED WITH 2017 Modification to certification and licensing continues to serve as a key policy lever to help alleviate principal shortages. This year's focus is on expanding access to certain individuals, such as veterans or administrators previously licensed in another state.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Arizona H.B. 2534 Enacted Louisiana H.B. 796 Enacted Oregon S.B. 1520 Enacted
Colorado S.B. 147 S.B. 160
Failed Enacted
Missouri S.B. 1044 Failed Rhode Island H.B. 7296 Failed
Mississippi
H.B. 1401 H.B. 1402 S.B. 2063 S.B. 2397
Failed Failed Failed Failed
Tennessee
H.B. 1549/ S.B. 1804 H.B. 1764/ S.B. 1738 H.B. 2009/ S.B. 2011
Enacted Failed Enacted
Florida H.B. 29 H.B. 1191
Enacted Failed
Nebraska L.B. 803 EnactedIdaho H.B. 566 Vetoed
Virginia H.B. 2/ S.B. 103 H.J. 56
Enacted Failed
New Hampshire
H.B. 1559 Failed
Illinois H.B. 2898 H.B. 5170 S.B. 2439
Enacted Failed Enacted New York
A. 3141/ S. 3815 A. 4004/ S. 3550
Failed Failed Wisconsin S.B. 825 Failed
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Illinois H.B. 5627 Enacted New York A. 5755/ S. 4470 Failed Utah H.B. 46 Enacted
Mississippi H.B. 753 Failed
Examples of Enacted State Legislation
Florida: H.B. 29 creates a pathway for veterans to become school principals. This bill requires the state department of education to issue a temporary certificate to an individual who served as a commissioned or noncommissioned military
officer for three years, earned a passing score on the required leadership exam, currently works in a full-time position that requires a Florida educators’ certificate and is at a school with an approved district-level principal preparation program.
Idaho: H.B. 566 creates a new charter school administrator certificate as an alternative to a traditional administrator certificate. To meet the eligibility requirements for this certificate, an administrator must: hold a bachelor's degree, pass
a criminal background check, receive training on teacher evaluation and show that a charter school board of directors intends to hire them. As a result, charter school administrators could continue to hold a traditional administrator certificate or hold a charter school administrator certificate. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter vetoed this bill.
Tennessee: H.B. 1549/S.B. 1804 exempts certain supervisors and principals, along with other educators, from an assessment requirement to advance or renew a license if they: (1) hold an active professional license in a state with a
reciprocal agreement, (2) are employed to serve in the area of endorsement in a public school in Tennessee and (3) earned an overall performance effectiveness level of above expectations or significantly above expectations in each of the first two years immediately following the issuance of their initial license.
At least
considered legislation.
17 STATES bills were
introduced.
31 17 failed.
13 were
enacted.
1 was
vetoed.
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POLICY SNAPSHOT SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
Induction, Mentoring and Professional Development
At least
considered legislation.
19 STATES bills were
introduced.
32 17 failed.
14 were
enacted.
1 was
vetoed.
Examples of Enacted State Legislation
Alabama: H.B. 175 appropriates $438,907 to the Alabama Principal Mentoring Program. This two-year program supports new school leaders and provides mentorship by a leadership coach.
Colorado: H.B. 1355 expands the existing School Turnaround Leaders Development program and renames it the School Transformation Grant program. This program provides grants for the development of school turnaround
leaders and requires the state board to consider how the applying district will support educator professional development; provide services, support and materials to transform instruction; and implement one or more rigorous school redesign strategies.
West Virginia: H.B. 4619 directs a percentage of funding (if available) to support district-level implementation of comprehensive systems for teacher and leader induction and professional growth.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Alabama H.B. 175 Enacted Hawaii H.B. 2562 Failed North Carolina
H.B. 1068 Failed
Arizona S.B. 1223 S.B. 1520
Failed Enacted
Illinois S.B. 3466 S.B. 3579 S.B. 3600
Enacted Failed Failed
Rhode Island H.B. 7007 Failed
Arkansas S.B. 37 Enacted Indiana S.B. 230 Enacted Tennessee H.B. 1240/ S.B. 1386
Enacted
California A.B. 2686 Failed Kentucky H.B. 30 Enacted Washington S.B. 6032 S.B. 6508
Enacted Failed
Colorado H.B. 1159 H.B. 1355 H.B. 1367
Enacted Enacted Failed
Michigan H.B. 4313 Enacted West Virginia
H.B. 2031 H.B. 2524 H.B. 4006 H.B. 4619
Failed Failed Enacted EnactedMissouri H.B. 1363 Failed
Florida
H.B. 1135 H.B. 4503 H.B. 5001 S.B. 1334 S.B. 2500
Failed Vetoed Enacted Failed Failed
New York A. 3673/ S. 3742
Failed Wisconsin S.B. 329 Failed
COMPARED WITH 2017 States continue to invest in professional learning for principals, particularly in funding for development programs.
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POLICY SNAPSHOT SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
Evaluation
At least
considered legislation.
9 STATES bills were
introduced.
18 13 failed.
1 was
enacted.
4 are
pending.
Example of Enacted State Legislation
Rhode Island: H.B. 8341 extends privacy protections to all public employees — previously exclusive to teachers — to ensure that the public cannot access any individually identifiable performance evaluations.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Arizona S.B. 1497 Failed New York (CONT'D)
A. 4016 A. 10475/ S. 8301 S. 267 S. 8992 S. 9098
Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed
California A.B. 2584 Failed
Louisiana H.B. 651 Failed Ohio H.B. 540 S.B. 240
Pending Pending
Michigan H.B. 5707 Pending Rhode Island H.B. 8341* Enacted
Tennessee H.B. 2207/ S.B. 2564 H.B. 2727
Failed Failed
New Jersey A. 675 Pending
New York A. 2417 A. 2815 A. 3420
Failed Failed Failed
* State also introduced companion bills.
Compensation, Incentives and Contracts
COMPARED WITH 2017 States saw a significant increase in legislation related to school and district leader compensation.
At least
considered legislation.
22 STATES bills were
introduced.
51 1 was vetoed. 10 were enacted.
27 failed.
13 are pending.
Examples of Enacted State Legislation
Florida: H.B. 7055 permanently establishes the Principal Autonomy Program Initiative, which allows high-need districts the ability to exchange statutory and rule exemptions for an agreement to meet performance goals.
COMPARED WITH 2017 States continue to consider moving away from utilizing measures of student growth in principal evaluations, with at least five states looking to do so in 2018. To date, no states have enacted such legislation this year; however, legislation is pending action in New Jersey and Michigan.
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POLICY SNAPSHOT SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
Idaho: S. 1347 appropriates $2.7 million for a 3 percent base salary increase for administrative staff. Other states, such as Alabama and Oklahoma, also increased compensation for principals and other school employees.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Alabama H.B. 154 H.B. 174*
Failed Enacted
Maryland S.B. 639 Enacted
Michigan H.B. 5479 S.B. 778
Pending Pending
California A.B. 45 Vetoed Minnesota H.F. 4255 Failed
Florida H.B. 427 H.B. 7055* S.B. 1324
Failed Enacted Failed
Missouri S.B. 810 Failed
New Mexico S.B. 317 Failed Idaho S. 1347 Enacted
Illinois H.B. 4777 S.B. 3183
Failed Failed Oklahoma
H.B. 1023 H.B. 2009 S.B. 1191
Enacted Enacted Failed
Indiana S.B. 267 Failed Washington S.B. 6362 EnactedIowa H.F. 2139 Failed
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
State Legislation Status State Legislation Status
Alabama H.B. 12/ S.B. 153 H.B. 389
Failed Failed
New York
A. 5157 A. 5532 A. 5534 A. 6310/ S. 4815 A. 7499/ S. 5474 A. 8108 S. 1148
Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed
Hawaii H.B. 2561 Failed
Maryland H.B. 103 S.B. 1162
Failed Enacted
Missouri S.B. 1054 Failed
Nebraska L.B. 851 Failed
New Jersey
A. 501 A. 663 A. 2252 A. 3700 A. 3713 A. 3775/ S. 692 S. 1720 S. 1812 S. 1933 S. 2414
Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending Pending
North Carolina H.B. 611 Enacted
Oklahoma S.B. 1232 S.B. 1286
Failed Failed
Pennsylvania H.B. 2630 Pending
Virginia H.B. 81 Enacted
Wyoming H.B. 83 Failed
* States also introduced companion bills.
Additional Resources J 2017 State Policy Review: School and District Leadership J School Leadership: A Primer for Policymakers J 50-State Comparison: School Leader Certification and Preparation Programs
POLICY SNAPSHOT SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
About Education Commission of the States Legislative Tracking Education Commission of the States tracks legislation on education issues from early learning through postsecondary and workforce. The team follows the bill’s status from introduction through its final action, summarizes key provisions and assigns topics. The policy tracking helps keep an eye on trends, innovative policy approaches and the overall landscape of education-focused activity. This information is leveraged for several purposes, including Policy Snapshots that offer a brief background on a topic, a visual take on recent bills and summaries of selected state legislation.
© 2018 by Education Commission of the States. All rights reserved. Education Commission of the States encourages its readers to share our information with others. To request permission to reprint or excerpt our material, please contact us at 303.299.3609 or email [email protected].
Education Commission of the States | 700 Broadway Suite 810 Denver, CO 80203
ENDNOTES 1. National Teacher and Principal Survey, 2015-16, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
accessed September 28, 2018, https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/Table_6_042717.asp; and Thomas Glass and Louis A. Franceshchini, The 2006 Study of the State of the American School Superintendency (Alexandria: The School Superintendents Association, 2018), 51.
2. Prioritizing Leadership: Opportunities in the Every Student Success Act (New York: New Leaders, 2018), https://newleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018.NL_.ESSA-State-Plan-Policy-Brief-FINAL.pdf.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Education Commission of the States is grateful to The Wallace Foundation for its generous support and continued commitment to helping equip states and school districts with the resources to develop strong school leadership policies and practices.
AUTHOR Deven Scott is a state relations associate at Education Commission of the States. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history and a master’s degree in public administration, both from the University of South Dakota. In her spare time, she can be found hiking, watching true crime documentaries or cheering on the Minnesota Vikings. Contact Deven at [email protected] or 303.299.3622.
About Education Commission of the States Legislative Tracking Education Commission of the States tracks legislation on education issues from early learning through postsecondary and workforce. The team follows the bill’s status from introduction through its final action, summarizes key provisions and assigns topics. The policy tracking helps keep an eye on trends, innovative policy approaches and the overall landscape of education-focused activity. This information is leveraged for several purposes, including Policy Snapshots that offer a brief background on a topic, a visual take on recent bills and summaries of selected state legislation.
