Catalyst reports that Illinois has joined the other 34 states competing in the Race to the Top for the $3.4 billion in government funds for their school system. Governor Pat Quinn recently signed a bill that ups the requirements for anyone seeking to become a principal in Illinois.
“Our principals are like the goalie in hockey,” Quinn said at the ceremony, in an auditorium packed by several hundred Bell students. “You’ve got to have somebody there to defend, to make sure things go the right way.”
In short, the process to implement new rules and guidelines that will make the process more difficult to become a principal in the state meets one of the criteria used to meet the Race to the Top application requirements; more stringent assessments of principal candidates and more intensive internships round out this aspect of the requirements.
School principals are the ultimate authority on school grounds and can have a large effect on the overall tone and quality of a school. Concerns with the benefits historically tied to seniority given to principals, no matter their work ethic or effectiveness, the ability to maintain their positions indefinitely within school systems.
Complaints from parents and teachers echoed into the creation of these new standards, and even without the potential benefit of federal funding, the main focus of these heightened standards is improving the overall conditions of our schools.
Although outlined by the Federal government in the Race to the Top application requirements, each state has jurisdiction over the exact criteria within the stricter standards, so it’s important that we as parents, teachers and students, understand the changes our future principals will face. Keep updated on new applications, finalists and winners of the Race to the Top challenge.
As the next stage of the education revamp in the US, this focus on our principals as the head of our schools is a necessary and effective step.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Thursday, June 17th 2010 at 2:27PM
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