The Effects of a Principal Professional Development Program Focused on Instructional Leadership

Summary

Principals can play a key role in improving instruction and student achievement. The Institute of Education Sciences conducted a random assignment study of a professional development program for elementary school principals to support state and local efforts to improve school leadership. The program focused on helping principals conduct structured observations of teachers' classroom instruction and provide targeted feedback. Key findings include: (1) Despite substantially increasing the amount of professional development principals received, the program did not affect student achievement or most teacher or school outcomes. (2) The program did not have the intended effects on principal practices that it targeted.