Prioritizing Principals Guidebook: Central Office Practices That Support School Leaders. The School Leadership District Cohort

The George W. Bush Institute's School Leadership Initiative (SLI) District Cohort Research Project is a five-year effort with four school districts to test two frameworks--Principal Talent Management (PTM) and Effective Implementation. This collaboration is designed to improve how districts prepare, recruit, support, and retain principals. This guidebook, which focuses on principals' Working Environment, is the fourth in a series. Each guidebook addresses one or more components of the Bush Institute's PTM Framework, including Principal Preparation, Principal Recruitment and Selection, Principal Supervision, Principal Professional Learning, Principal Performance Evaluation, Principal Compensation and Incentives, and the Working Environment for Principals. This guidebook focuses on one aspect of the working environment: how central offices can organize themselves to serve schools so that schools can serve all children well. This guidebook provides concrete guidance on how to effectively focus central office culture on addressing school needs and supporting principals. The conclusion summarizes how these strategies may be used.