Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
Education
School Leadership
Equipping school districts to find, support, and retain highly effective principals.
Principals account for 25% of a school’s total impact on student achievement. The Bush Institute education experts provide the framework for school districts to adopt to ensure quality principals are at the helm of their schools.
Each year, more than 20% of current principals retire, leave their schools, or leave the profession, requiring districts to find new principals –often without the right kind of pipelines or plans in place.
Today’s principal workforce is less experienced, more mobile, works more hours, and experiences more job stress. New principals often report that they are underprepared for the complexity of their jobs.
Well-trained, supported, and effective principals should:
- Recruit and retain the best teachers
- Enable the success of their students
- Set a positive school culture
Findings and Frameworks
Conditions for Change: The School Leadership Initiative
A Framework for Principal Talent Management
District Guidebooks
Principal Supervision as a Strategy for Supporting and Retaining School Leaders
Prioritizing Principals Guidebook
Principal Preparation Guidebook
Principal Learning and Supervision Guidebook
Principal Recruitment and Selection Guidebook
Principal Performance Evaluation Guidebook
Reports
Developing Leaders: The Importance - and the Challenges - of Evaluating Principal Preparation Programs
Great Principals at Scale: Creating District Conditions That Enable All Principals to Be Effective
Operating in the Dark: What Outdated State Policies and Data Gaps Mean for Effective School Leadership
Experts
Read Anne Wicks's biography.
![Anne Wicks]()
Anne Wicks
Don Evans Family Managing Director, Opportunity and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Read Robin Berkley's biography.
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Robin Berkley
Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education George W. Bush Institute
Read Alex Dowdy's biography.
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Alex Dowdy
Senior Program Manager, Education George W. Bush Institute
Read Alexis Yelvington's biography.
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Alexis Yelvington
Associate, Education George W. Bush Institute
Read Jacob Allen's biography.
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Jacob Allen
Evaluation Lead Cicero Group
Read Ann Clark's biography.
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Ann Clark
District Advisor George W. Bush Institute
Read Matthew Clifford's biography.
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Matthew Clifford
Advisor, Education George W. Bush Institute
Read Gina Ikemoto's biography.
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Gina Ikemoto
Content Advisor George W. Bush Institute
Read Dallin McKinnon's biography.
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Dallin McKinnon
Evaluation Support Cicero Group
Read Margaret Melville's biography.
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Margaret Melville
Evaluation Support Cicero Group
Read Meredith Richards's biography.
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Meredith Richards
Senior Advisor & SMU Faculty Affiliate Southern Methodist University
Read Steve Tozer's biography.
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Steve Tozer
Fellow, Education Reform Initiative George W. Bush Institute
Read Bill Haslam's biography.
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Bill Haslam
Sammons Enterprises Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Read Nina Rees's biography.
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Nina Rees
Senior Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Read William McKenzie's biography.
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William McKenzie
Senior Editorial Advisor George W. Bush Institute
Publications
FEATURED
Education Project Results in Resources for School Leadership to Recruit, Support, and Retain Principals
Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
Dallas Morning News: Why would a new superintendent want to lead your school district?
Leading Students and Teachers Through a Pandemic
A Teacher's Role in Civics Education
LATEST
Dallas Morning News: Are Texas students prepared for life after high school?
By: Anne Wicks
Education Project Results in Resources for School Leadership to Recruit, Support, and Retain Principals
Strong Principal Talent Management Increases Principal Retention
By: Eva Chiang, Anne Wicks
Principal Supervision as a Strategy for Supporting and Retaining School Leaders
By: Gina Ikemoto
Dallas Morning News: Why would a new superintendent want to lead your school district?
By: Ioanna Papas
Leading Students and Teachers Through a Pandemic
By: Anne Wicks