Developing Educational Leaders
Building a
learning-centered
leadership system
Ad Hoc Committee on
Educational Leadership









Rep. David Cook
Rep. Bill Abernathy
Rep. David Rainey
Rep. Johnnie Roebuck
Jodie Mahony, House
Staff
Teri Dorrough, ADE
Janinne Riggs, ADE
Deborah Coffman, ADE
Beverly Williams, ADE






Mary Gunter, Arkansas
Tech
Kieth Williams, Harding
John Hoy, Lee County
School District
Beverly Elliott, Arkansas
Leadership Academy
Tom Kimbrell, AAEA
Gary Kees, Arkansas River
Education Services Co-op
Importance of School Leaders
“Leadership is second only to
classroom instruction among all
school-related factors that contribute
to what students learn at school.” The
Wallace Foundation, 2004 research review
“[S]chools are unlikely to show
substantial improvements without
highly effective principals.” SREB, 2007
Other States’ Work
Alabama
 Convened Governor’s Congress on School
Leadership to develop recommendations on
school leadership strategies
 Requires universities and school districts to
implement a joint screening and selection
process to identify potential school leaders
Other States’ Work
Delaware
 Working to create a cohesive leadership
system that includes a 90-hour professional
development licensure requirement, a threetiered licensure system and help for school
districts to develop principal succession
plans
Other States’ Work
Iowa
 2007 legislation requires the adoption of
statewide standards for school
administrators, creates a mentoring program
for beginning superintendents and requires
school districts to provide career
development plans for administrators
SREB Recommended Strategies



States should adopt learning-focused
leadership standards
Universities and school districts should work
together to recruit, select and prepare
aspiring leaders
States should adopt tiered licensure that
ensures that leaders demonstrate their ability
to improve student learning
SREB Recommended Strategies



States should create alternative pathways to
entry-level licensure
States should provide training and support
for leadership teams in low-performing
schools
States should ensure that policies, practices
and available resources support school
improvement and student performance 
and hold leaders accountable
Licensure



Arkansas offers three types of administrator
licenses: building-level, district-level and
curriculum program administrator
All require license holders to have a teaching
license, a graduate degree and at least four
years of teaching experience
Must have building-level license before
obtaining district-level license
Leadership Degree Programs
Nine Arkansas Universities offer buildinglevel programs in educational leadership





Henderson
UA-Fayetteville
ASU
Arkansas Tech
Harding




UCA
UA-Monticello
UALR
SAU
Mentoring



Beginning principals and curriculum
administrators are required to participate in
mentoring for at least one year
State pays for mentor’s training and time as
well as supplies, such as books, that the
beginning administrator needs
There is no state mentoring requirement for
superintendents
Professional Development
Administrators must complete 60 hours of
professional development in:
 Technology (six hours)
 Parent involvement (three hours)
 Data disaggregation
 Instructional leadership
 Fiscal management
Professional Development
Survey of co-ops found:
 All 15 co-ops provide some professional
development for administrators, although the
content varies considerably
 Most co-ops offer a two- or three-day conference
designed for administrators
 The Arkansas River Education Service Co-op
offers a two-year program for aspiring
superintendents
Professional Development
Other leadership programs:
 Arkansas Leadership Academy: School
Support, Master Principal, Superintendent
Institute
 Arkansas Superintendent Academy
(Arkansas Tech)
Arkansas Superintendents Survey
Survey of all 245 superintendents found:
 On average, Arkansas superintendents have just
over 19 years of administration experience
 About 92 percent said they would recommend
mentoring for beginning administrators
 The top subjects in which they said new
administrators should be mentored are budgeting
and finance, school laws and regulations, and school
board relations
SREB Arkansas Assessment:
Commendable Actions



With state funding and support, all
universities have redesigned their leadership
programs around national standards
Universities and districts provide schoolbased experiences as part of their leadership
development programs
Universities offer a customized program for
candidates with a master’s degree in a field
other than educational leadership
SREB Arkansas Assessment:
Commendable Actions


ADE mentors receive some training, and
districts receive funding for mentoring
program
The state is building a comprehensive data
warehouse that will make it possible to track
the performance of administrators as tied to
student achievement
SREB Arkansas Assessment:
Commendable Actions


Leadership Academy’s School Support
program provides regular coaching to four
high-need schools (in years 1 and 2 of AYP)
Master Principal designation requires
evidence of successful school results
SREB Arkansas Assessment:
Gaps in the System


Local school districts should be more
involved in the recruitment and selection of
candidates admitted to leadership programs
The state does not have an effective strategy
for attracting and preparing highly qualified
persons from high-need districts to become
school leaders in those districts
SREB Arkansas Assessment:
Gaps in the System



Graduates’ impact on schools and student
achievement is not systematically tracked
and evaluated
Formal university-district partnerships that
assess local district needs and collaborate
on the design and delivery of leadership
programs are not required
There is no state commission or oversight
group for leadership system redesign
Next Steps


Issues for further study
Potential recommendations