Beyond Preparation: State Approaches to Early Career Principal Induction

ABSTRACT

We reviewed public documents to determine the extent to which U.S. state educational authorities facilitate induction for early career principals. We found that only about half of states require any form of principal induction. States commonly delegated induction to districts, but also involved professional associations and external providers. Findings suggest that most states recognize the importance of investing in principal leadership, but vary widely in their approaches to early career principal support. We discuss findings in light of states’ increasing adoption of policies that target principal performance.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. For the purposes of thinking about induction, we define an early career principal (ECP) as a principal with up to three years of experience in the role.

2. For analysis and reporting purposes, we refer to D.C. as a state.