University-based principal preparation programs prepare the majority of U.S. school principals. This report describes the methodology of and findings from a five-year study of an initiative designed to support improvements to such programs. It is primarily intended as a secondary resource for readers who would like more detail about the study's findings and methods.

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Redesigning University Principal Preparation Programs

A Systemic Approach for Change and Sustainability — Full Report (Volume 3, Part 1)

by Rebecca Herman, Ashley Woo, Elaine Lin Wang, Susan M. Gates, Tiffany Berglund, Jonathan Schweig, Megan Andrew, Ivy Todd

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Research Questions

  1. How did principal preparation programs change during the five years of UPPI?
  2. What did it take for programs to collaboratively redesign?
  3. How did partners address challenges to systemic change?
  4. How did partners extend the strategies developed in the UPPI?

The job of the school principal has become much more complex and demanding over the past several decades. Many university-based principal preparation programs — which prepare the majority of school principals — have struggled with how to make the fundamental changes needed to prepare principals for today's schools. To test a path forward, The Wallace Foundation provided grants to seven universities and their partners to redesign their principal preparation programs in line with research-supported practices.

This report describes the methods of and findings from the RAND Corporation's five-year study of The Wallace Foundation's University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI). It is primarily intended as a secondary resource for readers who would like more detail about the study's findings and methods. Key findings are highlighted in the report in brief and three upcoming targeted reports: one for principal preparation programs, one for school districts, and one for state education organizations.

Key Findings

UPPI teams improved the coherence of the programs

  • Programs engaged with districts to make recruiting more collaborative and targeted.
  • Universities improved program coherence by aligning curricula to frameworks and standards, sequencing the learning, and increasing practical learning experiences.
  • Clinical experience became more authentic, intentional, and personalized.
  • UPPI programs strengthened the use of cohorts.

The universities used partnerships and supports to conceptualize and carry out changes to the programs

  • Collaborative partners played an active role at all stages of the redesign process.
  • Program self-assessments and the development of logic models or frameworks helped the team work together and kept the redesign process on track.
  • There was no single way to sequence the redesign work.
  • The partnerships evolved to support continued implementation.
  • Continuous improvement was built into the redesign and implementation processes.
  • Teams took steps to institutionalize the redesign features and the partnership and process of continuous improvement.

Partners took the UPPI testbed strategies beyond the UPPI program

  • Universities expanded the redesigned programs to include partnerships with additional districts.
  • UPPI program redesigns extended changes along the pathway to the principalship.
  • UPPI approaches informed programs across the state preparation system.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter One

    Introduction

  • Chapter Two

    Changes to UPPI Principal Preparation Programs

  • Chapter Three

    Collaboration Across Stakeholders Around Redesign

  • Chapter Four

    Extending Lessons Learned Beyond the UPPI Programs

  • Chapter Five

    Summary

  • Appendix A

    UPPI Programs and Partners, and Timeline

  • Appendix B

    Methodology

  • Appendix C

    INSPIRE Data Collection and Analysis

Research conducted by

This study was commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and undertaken by RAND Education and Labor.

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