EdQuest Georgia
Overview
Policies should support strong, quality leadership both within schools– teacher-leaders, counselors, principals, and more– and those outside of schools– superintendents and state leaders.
In school systems, the leadership role is paramount. School districts have enormous power to support principals and teachers in driving instructional improvement. Research has shown that when district leaders effectively address specific responsibilities, they have a profound, though indirect, positive impact on student achievement in their districts. Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to student achievement.
Benchmarks
These are a variety of indicators that pertain to the state of education leadership in Georgia.
Data provided by the Georgia School Superintendents Association.
Georgia Department of Education. (2015). Georgia's Equity Plan - Equitable Access to Effective Educators.
Georgia Leadership Data - By the Numbers
- 3.2 – Average number of years of tenure of a district superintendent in Georgia: equivalent to the national average.
- 22 – Average percentage of districts in Georgia have a change in superintendent every year.
- 19 – Percent annual turnover of principals in Georgia.
- 23 – Percent annual turnover of principals in Georgia’s schools in the highest poverty quartile.
- 22 – Percent annual principal turnover in Georgia’s schools in the highest minority quartile.
Resources
Leadership Resources
- Center on International Education and Benchmarking – High Quality Teachers and Principals
- Wallace Foundation – A philanthropy working nationally to strengthen policies and practices within school leadership, afternoon, summer learning, arts education, expanded learning and art alliance and audiences.
- University Preparation Program Initiative – A five-year, $47 million initiative to help universities improve how they prepare future principals, especially for the nation’s highest-need schools, as new studies point to a concern that many programs are falling short of school district needs and expectations.
- How Leadership Influences Student Learning
- District Policy and Practice – The role of school districts in improving school leadership
- State and Federal Policy – The role of state and federal government in improving school leadership
Leadership Resources (Con't.)
- New! (Nov. 2017) Georgia Joint Study Committee on Leadership Academy Final Report
State Resources
- Georgia Professional Standards Commission – Georgia Educational Leadership
- Georgia Department of Education
- Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) – An independent, non-profit organization that is committed to working with district and school leaders to build leadership capacity, improve organizational effectiveness, and create conditions that improve student achievement.
- Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) – Community Leadership Learning Academy
- Gwinnett County Public Schools – Certified Quality Leader Training
Opportunities
Keep moving forward;
strong policies in place:
Support the leader training, certification, and professional development reforms being developed and implemented by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
Proceed with caution;
policies need some work:
Implement and fully support the proposed recommendations concerning leader development in Georgia’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) proposed state plan, including an increased focus on effective leadership and professional capacity, equitable distribution of strong leaders, and leveraging the P-20 Collaboratives.
Alert! Policy missing
or needs immediate attention:
Develop a comprehensive, statewide plan to support the recruitment, training, and ongoing professional development of leaders at all levels, including schools, districts, school boards, and the state.
Address leadership turnover.