Preparing Tomorrow’s School Leaders with a Standards-Based, Prescriptive Curriculum

David L Gray

doi:10.5539/ies.v2n3p27

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 holds public schools in the United States accountable for increased student achievement and adequate yearly progress (AYP). Schools that do not make AYP for three consecutive years are subject to stringent sanctions. Principals, teachers, and students are under tremendous pressure to demonstrate increased achievement each year. State Boards of Education are insisting that school leaders have knowledge about curriculum and instruction in addition to the managerial skills that were the hallmarks of educational administration programs in years past. Colleges that prepare prospective principals are redesigning their instructional leadership programs to ensure that they are prescriptive, standards-based, and curriculum-focused to meet NCLB’s rigorous requirements.

Highlights

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 holds public schools in the United States accountable for increased student achievement and adequate yearly progress (AYP)
Significant changes have been made by colleges of education that are discarding principal-as-manager professional development models in favor of standards-based curriculums that will empower tomorrow’s principals to lead students to increased academic achievement, which NCLB defines as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
Changes in leadership curriculums were based on decisions made by local boards of education to replace criterion-referenced tests in public schools with a national, norm-referenced assessment that compels third through twelfth grade teachers to teach a prescriptive curriculum focused on attaining that goal

Summary

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 holds public schools in the United States accountable for increased student achievement and adequate yearly progress (AYP). Significant changes have been made by colleges of education that are discarding principal-as-manager professional development models in favor of standards-based curriculums that will empower tomorrow’s principals to lead students to increased academic achievement, which NCLB defines as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Results

Conclusion