ESSA and School Improvement: Principal¹ Preparation and Professional Development in a New Era of Education Policy

TLDR

School leadership is the most influential factor in student achievement, prompting federal and state policies to hold principals accountable for academic outcomes. This article examines how district and school capacity to apply for and allocate ESSA professional development funds varies by school context. The study uses qualitative interviews and literature review to interpret how ESSA may affect principal preparation and development and potentially widen social and economic divides within and between districts. While ESSA emphasizes flexibility and autonomy, under‑resourced districts and schools lack the human and fiscal capacity to realize these benefits, leaving vulnerable schools still struggling to improve.

Abstract

School leadership, next to teacher quality, plays the largest role in improving the educational outcomes of students. As such, federal and state policies have sought to hold principals accountable for the academic success of their students. Given the renewed attention paid to school leaders and overall school improvement with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), this article examines how district and school capacity to apply for and allocate additional professional development funds provided by ESSA might vary according to school context. We utilize qualitative interview data and the literature pertaining to ESSA to interpret how the new federal education policy might affect the preparation and development of principals and how ESSA might expand the social and economic divide that exists between and within districts. We find that while flexibility and autonomy might be key components of ESSA, under-resourced districts and schools might not experience such flexibility and autonomy due to a lack of resources—both human and fiscal—and a lack of capacity. Thus, we find that vulnerable schools might continue to struggle to improve in the era of ESSA.