Ten years of research and organizational experience have taught New Leaders a great deal about what makes an effective principal—and what conditions lead to success. Highly effective principals get results regardless of circumstances, but supportive policy and practice conditions enable more principals to affect greater change on behalf of students. New Leaders has built a deep knowledge base about the policies and practices at both the state and local level that have the potential to aid or impede school leader success. Through work with our program partner cities and states, we have learned what it takes to address these conditions in meaningful and sustainable ways. (See our Evaluating Principals and Principal Effectiveness papers.)
Our Policy and Practice Services team works with clients across the country to address human capital strategy in the leadership space:
Designing and implementing effective leadership selection, evaluation, and pipeline systems
- Redesign the principal’s role – high-impact responsibilities, necessary skills, selection criteria and measures of effectiveness
- Analyze and redesign state-level policies to promote effective talent management of school leaders
- Develop tools and frameworks for principal evaluation and selection, and train district staff for successful implementation
- Support the design and implementation of an integrated leadership pipeline
Implementing effective development and management strategies for school leaders
- Align training and support plans for school leaders and build partner capacity to deliver on these initiatives
- Provide recommendations on the strategic role of the principal manager: job design, selection, training and support, and tools for effective management of school leaders
- Design management tools that enable principal managers and other district leaders to effectively support and develop principals through a deep understanding of school performance
Changing policies and conditions that limit principal autonomy and effectiveness
- Conduct a robust diagnosis and identify priority areas for change at both the state and district levels
- Share effective practice examples from districts who have successfully reformed these policies
- Provide tools and training supports for principals operating within a new policy context
For more information on our Policy and Strategy Services, contact Katherine Pippert, Director of Client Services.
