Publication
Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
Findings from five years of working with the School Leadership District Cohort
Education
School Leadership
Equipping school districts to find, support, and retain highly effective principals.
Principals account for 25% of a school’s total impact on student achievement. The Bush Institute education experts provide the framework for school districts to adopt to ensure quality principals are at the helm of their schools.
Each year, more than 20% of current principals retire, leave their schools, or leave the profession, requiring districts to find new principals –often without the right kind of pipelines or plans in place.
Today’s principal workforce is less experienced, more mobile, works more hours, and experiences more job stress. New principals often report that they are underprepared for the complexity of their jobs.
Well-trained, supported, and effective principals should:
- Recruit and retain the best teachers
- Enable the success of their students
- Set a positive school culture
Findings and Frameworks
Publication
Conditions for Change: The School Leadership Initiative
Bush Institute research with four district partners revealed certain conditions that need to be in place for practice and policy change to occur.
Publication
A Framework for Principal Talent Management
Best practices for attracting, supporting, & retaining effective principals
District Guidebooks
Publication
Principal Supervision as a Strategy for Supporting and Retaining School Leaders
This case study describes how Granite School District used one strategy – transforming the principal supervisor role – to both improve principal skills and deepen these leaders’ commitment to staying in their roles.
Publication
Prioritizing Principals Guidebook
Two sets of central office practices that enable true partnerships between central office and principals.
Publication
Principal Preparation Guidebook
Four key components of principal preparation that increase success once hired
Publication
Principal Learning and Supervision Guidebook
<p><span>How professional learning for principals can improve student-learning outcomes</span></p>
Publication
Principal Recruitment and Selection Guidebook
<p>How districts can <span>identify candidates with the skills & expertise </span><span>for schools’ needs</span></p>
Publication
Principal Performance Evaluation Guidebook
A guide to best practices during the principal evaluation process
Reports
Publication
Developing Leaders: The Importance - and the Challenges - of Evaluating Principal Preparation Programs
This research on principal preparation highlights the link between principal preparation programs and student outcomes in five large districts across the United States.
Publication
Great Principals at Scale: Creating District Conditions That Enable All Principals to Be Effective
How to provide the tools, supports, and culture that enable well-prepared principals to lead significant improvements in student outcomes without having to go to unrealistically heroic lengths.
Publication
Operating in the Dark: What Outdated State Policies and Data Gaps Mean for Effective School Leadership
A study of how states are using their authority to increase the supply of effective principals focused on raising student achievement.
Publications
Publication
Education Project Results in Resources for School Leadership to Recruit, Support, and Retain Principals
Publication
Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
Findings from five years of working with the School Leadership District Cohort
Publication
Dallas Morning News: Why would a new superintendent want to lead your school district?
School districts across the Nation are experiencing a mass exit of superintendents. What questions should these school boards be asking and what should they be looking for?
Publication
Leading Students and Teachers Through a Pandemic
Two Texas principals share their experiences leading students and teachers through COVID-19, how they plan to address learning loss, and what they are hopeful for in the coming school year.
Publication
A Teacher's Role in Civics Education
At the core of a free and democratic society, citizens understand the ideals, processes, and significance of the institutions. These don’t waiver in the politics of the moment – but are steadfast duties in service of democracy, safety, and peace. What does this look like in a classroom? 
The latest
Apr 10, 2023
Dallas Morning News: Are Texas students prepared for life after high school?
Anne Wicks, Ann Kimball Johnson Director, Education and Opportunity, George W. Bush Institute, explains how economic success depends on home-grown workers.
Video · Dec 21, 2022
Education Project Results in Resources for School Leadership to Recruit, Support, and Retain Principals
Report · Dec 14, 2022
Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
Findings from five years of working with the School Leadership District Cohort
Resource · Nov 14, 2022
Principal Supervision as a Strategy for Supporting and Retaining School Leaders
This case study describes how Granite School District used one strategy – transforming the principal supervisor role – to both improve principal skills and deepen these leaders’ commitment to staying in their roles.
Report · Jul 6, 2021
Conditions for Change: The School Leadership Initiative
Bush Institute research with four district partners revealed certain conditions that need to be in place for practice and policy change to occur.
Resource · May 19, 2021
Prioritizing Principals Guidebook
Two sets of central office practices that enable true partnerships between central office and principals.