Decertifying the Principalship: The Politics of Administrator Preparation in Florida

Although some factors seem to be moving to allow greater decertification of the school principal profession, other factors, moving in the opposite direction, call for greater oversight by government. Four factors—perceived shortage of principals, accountability and the changing role of principals, growing influence of the state over school administration, and new conceptualization of good public management—have created a set of challenges to certification that have propelled a renewed analysis of certification and licensure. This article focuses on alternative certification and licensure of principals—looking at the historical factors leading up to the introduction of alternative licensure for principals—the challenges to alternative licensure programs, and provides a case study of one district’s and one state’s (Florida) current experimentation.