The Wallace Foundation's University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) is a four-year effort to support the redesign of seven universities' principal preparation programs — with engagement of state and district partners — according to evidence-based principles and practices. This executive summary provides insight into the first year of UPPI implementation.

Launching a Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs

Partners Collaborate for Change: Executive Summary

Elaine Lin Wang, Susan M. Gates, Rebecca Herman, Monica Mean, Rachel Perera, Tiffany Berglund, Katie Whipkey, Megan Andrew

ResearchPublished Oct 30, 2018

School principals are charged with complex responsibilities that can include developing a school vision and culture, supporting teacher effectiveness, managing challenges and crises, communicating with the greater community, and more. However, recent research and surveys of school administrators indicate that principal preparation programs do not adequately prepare graduates to cope with school realities. In response to concerns about the state of initial principal preparation, The Wallace Foundation established the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI), a four-year effort to redesign seven universities' principal preparation programs according to evidence-based principles and practices. Each university collaborates on the redesign with high-need school districts and a state partner, and is supported by a mentor program. The report summarized in this document focuses on the implementation of UPPI in its first year, from fall 2016 to fall 2017. The authors report on UPPI progress and identify cross-cutting themes in the UPPI implementation effort that can help other university principal preparation programs and their partners undertake their own principal preparation system improvement efforts.

Key Findings

  • UPPI programs began with some evidence-based features and contexts already in place.
  • UPPI partnerships used the first year to develop a vision for the new program and the redesign process. The teams at each site engaged in three primary re-envisioning activities: standards development, program assessment, and logic model development.
  • Each UPPI team focused on redesigning its curriculum and instruction.
  • UPPI leadership teams explored changes to clinical experiences and candidate recruitment and selection.
  • University-based leads — the individuals from each university leading the overall initiative at that site — and actively engaged partners drove the initiative in the first year.
  • UPPI prompted partner states and districts to consider issues and/or undertake activities they may not have otherwise.
  • UPPI leadership teams developed strategies to mitigate the most pressing challenges, such as turnover and capacity limitations.

Order a Print Copy

Format
Paperback
Page count
20 pages
List Price
$8.00
Buy link
Add to Cart

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2018
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 20
  • Paperback Price: $8.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-1-9774-0167-0
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RR2612.1
  • Document Number: RR-2612/1-WF

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Wang, Elaine Lin, Susan M. Gates, Rebecca Herman, Monica Mean, Rachel Perera, Tiffany Berglund, Katie Whipkey, and Megan Andrew, Launching a Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs: Partners Collaborate for Change: Executive Summary, RAND Corporation, RR-2612/1-WF, 2018. As of September 13, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2612z1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Wang, Elaine Lin, Susan M. Gates, Rebecca Herman, Monica Mean, Rachel Perera, Tiffany Berglund, Katie Whipkey, and Megan Andrew, Launching a Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs: Partners Collaborate for Change: Executive Summary. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2018. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2612z1.html. Also available in print form.
BibTeX RIS

This research was sponsored by The Wallace Foundation and conducted by RAND Education.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.