Dive Brief:

• As school principals become responsible for more tasks, other school leadership positions like assistant principals, teacher-leaders, and instructional coaches are in need of better training, according to a new report from Bain & Co. titled, "Transforming Schools: How Distributed Leadership Can Create More Hi...," based on a survey of 4,200 school leaders.  
• The new report argues that districts would be better served by utilizing a more horizontal management structure that resulted in a greater sharing of responsibilities, lessening the likelihood of principal burnout.
• Teacher-leaders also need to feel empowered to make changes and lead peers, something that many respondents noted they did not feel responsible for. 

Dive Insight:

Districts like Denver, CO, where schools have struggled with high principal turnover, would be well-served to pay attention to this report. In July 2015, it was reported that one-third of district schools would have new leaders. Such high turnover has proven to have a negative academic impact on students. It can also stand in the way of school improvement.

The report's recommendations are largely practical. The Council of Chief State School Officers also recently released its "2015 Model Principal Supervisor Professional Standards," a set of eight guidelines that aim to heighten the effectiveness of principals and clarify their role. Both documents demonstrate that the workload of school leaders can be better distributed and managed more efficiently. 

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