Research shows that educators are the most important in-school factor contributing to student outcomes. However, the profession continues to face staffing shortages due to low compensation, challenging working conditions and insufficient preparation or professional learning opportunities.
To talk about what these challenges look like on a day-to-day basis, the National Conference of State Legislatures recently brought together principals and state legislators and staff for a webinar on the importance of instructional leadership in literacy and mathematics education. NCSL also held an in-person meeting about educator recruitment and retention.
Jay Apostol, principal of Monett Middle School in Monett, Mo., and Ed Cosentino, principal of Phelps Luck Elementary School in Columbia, Md., told the webinar audience that their roles as instructional leaders are ongoing, requiring analysis of student data and professional learning regarding curriculum. Apostol says he learns alongside teachers as they implement new curriculum and provides support for challenges. Cosentino says his district’s monthly principal meetings, which include ongoing training on curriculum specifically for administrators, provide tools to support teachers in implementation.
As a part of NCSL’s in-person 2024 Education Policy Forum, Marquita Johnson, principal of Mineral Springs Elementary School in Winston Salem, N.C., and Rae Garrison, principal of Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, Utah, spoke about the importance of relationships with students. Johnson says she knows all the students in her school by name, and Garrison says the school community calls her “Mama Grizz,” after the school’s mascot, the grizzly. They also discussed emerging challenges related to advancements in technology, from the impact on student engagement to determining the professional development needs of educators.
State legislators and staff say they appreciated hearing directly from practitioners who conveyed the realities of the educator profession and made direct connections to how those realities shape recruitment and retention.
State Action
State legislatures across the country have made significant investments in bolstering the educator pipeline, from increasing learning and development opportunities to boosting compensation.
Recognizing the challenging workload that teachers and principals face, lawmakers in some states, such as Connecticut and West Virginia, have recently required reviews of their professional development requirements for educators. The reviews aim to ensure that requirements are necessary, relevant and streamlined to provide for learning needs without overburdening educators. In Connecticut, a working group with teacher, principal and administrator representatives made recommendations to the Legislature, while West Virginia charged its state board with conducting reviews every five years.
Instead of systematic reviews, Maryland and Alabama have put the focus on enhanced learning opportunities. Both states recently enacted legislation on professional learning systems for principals. Maryland modified its school leadership training program to include collaboration, shared learning and tailored instruction and to establish content requirements related to instructional leadership and teacher recruitment and retention. Alabama established new mentoring and professional learning programs for principals, providing for two years of mentorship for new principals and a yearlong leadership academy. To encourage participation, principals who complete the program receive an annual supplement of up to $10,000 with an added increase of up to $5,000 for those serving in a low-performing or high-poverty school.
States have also set requirements for principal professional learning specifically related to improving student literacy and numeracy. The approaches vary, with some generally requiring professional learning on literacy or numeracy for school leaders and others requiring learning tailored to the specific needs of school leaders. For example, Minnesota allocated funds to train regional staff to support school leaders and teachers in implementing evidence-based mathematics instruction, while Colorado established a requirement that certain principals successfully complete training on the science of reading as a condition of receiving certain funding.
Florida lawmakers got even more specific by requiring the state Department of Education to train school administrators on implementation, modeling and classroom observations related to evidence-based literacy instruction. While many of these efforts focus on principals serving early grades, Virginia expanded its requirement that local school boards provide reading and literacy professional development to middle school principals and specified teachers.
Beyond professional learning and development, states have also invested in educator compensation. North Dakota recently authorized signing bonuses for all licensed educators, and Louisiana requires districts to pay all certified employees a minimum of $30 an hour for duties performed outside the scope of their prescribed responsibilities.
Some states have also considered provisions for other types of compensation, including scholarships and tax credits. In California, for example, the Legislature recently appropriated funds for the Diverse Education Leaders Pipeline Initiative grant program. Recognizing the critical role of diversity in school leadership, the program provides districts with up to $30,000 per administrator candidate to assist in training, placing and retaining administrators from various backgrounds. The funds can be used to provide coaching, training or mentoring, to develop support systems for administrators, and to cover the costs associated with preparation programs and licensure.
Taking a different approach to recognizing the importance of school leaders, Washington provides that principal employment contracts may be for up to three years—two years longer than all other district employees—in recognition of principals’ potential impact and ability to stabilize instructional practices.
Looking Ahead
School principals play a critical leadership role in addressing many of the key factors that impact outcomes for students and staff. To address workforce challenges facing the principal profession, state legislatures continue working to enhance the educator pipeline. For more details about recently proposed and enacted legislation, visit NCSL’s Pre-K-12 Education Legislation Database.
Molly Gold is a program principal in NCSL’s Education Program.
NCSL does not advocate for state legislation, nor does NCSL endorse any third-party publications; resources are cited for informational purposes only.
This article was originally published in the April 2025 edition of Principal Leadership, a monthly online publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Used with permission.