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CTC adopts revised professional standards for principals 

CSBA participated on key work group

Updated standards for the training and professional development of principals and other school leaders were adopted by the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing Feb. 13.

First adopted a decade ago, the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders were due for revision in light of new state goals for community involvement, adoption of the Common Core State Standards, and new goals for improving school climate.

The standards cover six areas of professional practice:

• Development and implementation of a shared vision—emphasizing learning and growth of all students
• Instructional leadership—shaping a collaborative culture focused on student and professional growth
• Management and learning environment—cultivating a safe and productive learning and working environment
• Family and community engagement—collaborating with families and other community stakeholders to address local needs
• Ethics and integrity—developing a climate of trust and mutual respect to make equitable decisions
• External context and policy—influencing public policy to improve education

The standards are broken out into sub-elements that detail key areas of action within each standard, supported by example indicators that, while not mandatory, illustrate the ways an administrator might demonstrate accomplishment of the standards in practice.  By developing schedules that are student-centered and maximize staff collaboration, for example, a leader might demonstrate mastery of the plans and procedures element  of the standard for management and learning environment. Likewise, the family and community engagement standard’s parent and family engagement element might be indicated by the leader’s ability to communicate with parents in accessible and understandable ways.

Teri Burns, CSBA senior director for Policy and Programs, represented CSBA on the work group that developed the revised standards. Broad-based membership of the work group also included representatives of teachers, administrators, state agencies, universities and local school districts.

“If you have a principal who’s meeting these standards, you’re going to have that great site leader that you need,” she said.

The standards lay the foundation for administrator preparation, induction, development, professional learning and evaluation in California, based on the core belief that they:

• Inform leadership development and performance across a career continuum
• Incorporate existing, accepted descriptions and guides for professional education leadership
• Consistently promote student attainment of performance and content expectations as well as student well-being
• Acknowledge the need for ongoing dialogue, challenging assumptions and continued learning among staff and stakeholders
• Reflect the pervasive need to consider equity dilemmas, problems, and issues
• Promote action on the concepts of access, opportunity, and empowerment for all members of the school community