Being a school leader is about exhibiting passion and purpose, exuding inspiration and having the enthusiasm to act and effectuate change in society. If this kind of work excites you, you may have the dedication and passion it takes to be a school principal.
Quality leadership evolves with each challenge and experience you face. Our thoughts, words and actions greatly impact others and generate a sense of integrity and truth. Being a principal is far from an easy process. But with the right professional experience, education and willingness to serve others with humility and gratitude, it can be an extremely rewarding career.
What is a School Principal?
In this day and age, the role of school principal has evolved from previous norms, especially in a post-pandemic era. While traditionally considered to be managerial leaders with an eye towards enforcing procedures and rules, today’s principal reflects a more multi-faceted approach to education that emphasizes instructional leadership, community awareness and collaborative efforts.
Principals need to have a deep understanding of equitable, innovative instructional practices and assessment modalities, along with a strong knowledge and foundation in the academic standards relevant to your specific state. More importantly, principals are at the forefront of building and sustaining positive relationships with community members and stakeholders, including but not limited to caregivers, teachers/staff and students. The best principals intentionally carve out time to listen to their concerns, ideas and thoughts in order to remain connected to their overall needs. They serve others through a lens of collaboration and innovation to compel and project change in society. These important bonds and relationships will exemplify the core of your work and your purpose in school administration.
General Path to Principalship
Serving as a school principal is one of the most rewarding career paths, bringing both a sense of fulfillment and joy. How to become a principal is unique to each individual, but generally speaking, the following steps can get you there.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree in education. To grow into an educational leader, you must prioritize your education. There are several options for bachelor’s degree programs in education to get you started. This is a great opportunity to focus on the level of education you’d like to lead, like elementary or secondary.
- Become a certified teacher. Becoming a successful principal requires you to understand the experiences of the educators you lead. Earn your teaching certificate and start as an educator to get familiar with educational settings.
- Earn a master’s degree in education. Once you’ve become familiar with the inner workings of educational settings, you’ll want to earn a master’s degree to step into leadership. Oftentimes, you can complete a program that is specific to educational leadership and principal preparation. It’s important to research your state’s principal requirements to ensure you have all the credentials you need to be qualified.
- Step into a supportive leadership role. Many principals spend time as assistant principals first. While this is not a requirement, it can undoubtedly prepare you to be a principal through hands-on experience and observation. You’ll also have the opportunity tomake decisions, have instructional oversight and engage in supervision – all essential leadership skills you need to be a successful principal.
- Become a principal. After you’ve earned the education and gained the experience needed, you’re ready to lead a school effectively and impactfully.
Path to Principalship by School Type and Education Level
Serving as a principal looks different based on types of school (public or private) or education level (elementary or secondary). First, let’s discuss principalship by school type.
Public schools are funded by taxpayers and must adhere to school district and state board guidelines. Private schools, on the other hand, are funded through a variety of private sources and charge tuition for attendance. Becoming a principal at either a public or private institution looks quite similar, but statistically, . If you’re interested in specifically leading a private school, you might start at a public school where less experience is required. Further, school districts lead public school curricula and private schools create their own, so you might have unique curriculum-centered responsibilities at a private institution.
Conversely for principalship by education level, leading an elementary school differs from secondary school leadership because you’re preparing for different job duties. At the elementary level, you’re managing an educational system geared toward children from pre-school to eighth grade whereas on the secondary level, the students are in ninth through twelfth grade and becoming adults. If you aspire to become an elementary school principal, it’s advisable to focus your education on elementary education and similarly for secondary education. This way you’re prepared to meet the unique needs of the age group you’re serving.
Education Requirements
Specific education requirements for principalship may differ by state, but the following educational pathway is a great template:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree in education or teaching. Your specific area of expertise can focus on elementary, middle or high school, or with specialized groups of students such as ESL/ELL or special education.
“Principals are at the forefront of building and sustaining positive relationships with community members and stakeholders, including but not limited to caregivers, teachers/staff and students.”
- Gain required teaching experience. You will need to also obtain teaching experience in your area of study and certification. Keep in mind that some states require minimum years of teaching experience before you can obtain a school principal license. I personally recommend five years before transitioning into a leadership role. Use your time in the classroom as an opportunity to learn invaluable lessons about your leadership style and your core values. These things will guide your administrative career and help you develop leadership skills.
- Earn a master’s degree in education. After having established yourself as a successful teacher, you should then work towards obtaining a master’s degree in education, which can be in areas like leadership or school administration and supervision.
- Earn a principal license for your state. Invest time in researching the qualifications and procedures needed to become a licensed principal in your state so you can efficiently plan, minimize delays or resolve misconceptions early on. Reach out to your state department of education, specifically the office of licensure, induction and certification, if you have questions about the certification process.
- Complete your competency assessment. Pass a related educational leadership, administration and supervision assessment to determine your competencies as a school principal. Then, you may be eligible to apply for school principal certification and ultimately, principal jobs.
Qualities of a School Principal
The most important quality a school principal should have is the ability to build relationships grounded in integrity, honesty, mutual respect and trust. Without an open willingness to listen and understand others, it becomes difficult to lead a team through continuous cycles of improvement. Collaboration among staff members is key, so it’s integral to ensure that the voices of staff members are appreciated and valued for what they bring to the table.
Another essential skill is the ability to create and sustain a positive school culture and climate. Culture and climate are the heart and soul of a school, often established from its norms and values. They’re defined through an amalgamation of many dynamic areas including, but not limited to, leadership style, expectation level, overall quality of teaching, collaborative relationships amongst staff members, parents and students, and the safety and security of the general school environment. In managing all these different factors, principals heavily influence the morale and spirit of a school.
“Provide high quality and engaging professional development opportunities for teachers. Allow them to be creative and empower them to color outside the lines.”
Principals should promote a culture of academic excellence and high expectations for all members of the organization so there’s a solid foundation for quality instruction. Provide high-quality and engaging professional development opportunities for teachers. Allow them to be creative and empower them to color outside the lines. Trust that your teachers genuinely want to make a difference and provide a nurturing atmosphere that helps them both mitigate stress and ignite sparks for creating innovative learning experiences. This, coupled with high quality assessments, can lead to better student outcomes and heightened levels of engagement.
A successful school principal understands how to remain adaptable and flexible, and how to lead with calmness during moments of chaos. However, also recognize that mistakes are bound to happen, and experience comes with time, trial and error. Don’t beat yourself up about being the “perfect principal” or the “perfect leader” to everyone. Give yourself grace, remember that you are human and be transparent with your staff about your own areas of growth.
Why Become a Principal
Working in education is among one of the most rewarding careers one can choose. When you become a principal, your experience in the educational system and your passion for learning inspires others to do the same. Serving as a principal brings on new challenges as you trade classroom instruction for overseeing faculty and making impactful decisions. Oftentimes, educators aspire to become principals because it places them in a position to make a difference and ultimately drive a positive school experience for faculty, staff, students and parents. This is the personal connection with principalship.
Professionally, leading a school is a natural progression through an educator’s career. While some educators choose not to pursue administration, those with the goal of leading a school see principalship as a significant career goal. Further, there’s an increase in salary and a change in responsibilities. At the end of the day, an educator’s dream is to see students succeed, and as a principal, you are in a role where you can lead the charge.
Serving as a school principal has been one of the most remarkable and rewarding parts of my career and leadership journey. I can still remember the feeling of hope and wonder that I experienced on my very first day as I walked around an empty school building waiting for staff to arrive. There’s something about the invaluable opportunity to lead and serve a future community of leaders that still to this day ignites my passion for education reform.
A Typical Day as School Principal
A “typical day” almost doesn’t exist when you serve as school leader, but there are anticipated job responsibilities of a principal to know. There is structure and familiarity, but working with students and teachers means laughter, tears, success and challenge can all happen on any given day, without warning. Each day can be as fascinating as you allow it to be!
A normal day for a principal includes overseeing all aspects of school operations, including the implementation of curriculum, instruction and assessment models, monitoring student achievement, evaluating staff members and coordinating professional development. Principals also often attend many meetings with caregivers and community members, along with any necessary local or state district meetings.
Yet, the most important role associated with principals is to provide clarity, direction and leadership in setting high expectations for staff, with the goal of ensuring positive outcomes for students. Every moment counts when you are responsible for impacting others, whether student or teacher.
What is a School Principal’s Salary?
Principals are usually employed on an annual basis. Most contracts will be for 11 or 12 months and will include opportunities for continued learning or memberships to leadership programs that can help you enhance your abilities and skills.
“Every moment counts when you are responsible for impacting others, whether student or teacher.”
According to , a typical school principal salary can range from $98,306 to $125,203 and up, depending upon the state and the years of experience you have. The lowest ten percent averaged at $86,476 while the top ten percent made about $137,861. This annual salary is usually accompanied with healthcare and retirement benefits. However, it is important to note that contracts are negotiable.
FAQs
We’ve discussed how to become a principal, but you might still have some questions.
Does ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ (ACE) offer principal preparation programs?
Yes, ACE offers principal preparation programs. You can enroll in the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program and/or the Certificate in Principal Preparation program. Learn more here.
Do you need a Ph.D. to be a principal?
Principalship does not require a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree. However, some aspiring principals pursue terminal degrees for potential salary increases or in preparation to lead a school district.
How are principals selected?
The principal selection process is often similar to standard hiring processes. A district posts the position to be filled and interviews are conducted. However, there are unique considerations to keep in mind. School districts are often looking for principals who are aligned with their policies and standards, so when you apply for a principal role, it’s important that you research the district ahead of time.
What is the median age of most principals?
From a school type perspective, show that public school principals are in their late 40s, on average. Private school principals are a bit older in their early 50s.
Continued learning to improve your competencies, knowledge base and skillset is the best investment to make in yourself if you want to be a principal. Begin laying the foundation to your future leadership and success with education programs at ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ.
