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### Chapter 3. Training and Educational Experiences of Principals

Most states require public school principals (and, in some states, private school principals) to have training in educational administration from state-approved programs, which often leads to a master's or other advanced degree in educational administration. The approved programs, however, have been criticized in recent years (e.g., Hodgkinson, 1992; Marshall, Rogers, & Steele, 1993; Smith & Greene, 1990). Principals have been among the harshest critics. For example, as Miller (1987) has reported, principals have argued that their specified academic preparation was inadequate and unrelated to the realities of their jobs. In fact, the most important element of training identified by these individuals was unrelated to the formal curriculum at all. As these current principals pointed out, their teaching experience and their on-the-job experience as principals provided the best training (Miller, 1987). The assistant principalship often serves as the training and orientation for prospective principals. Unfortunately, this position usually pulls administrators away from an orientation to instruction and attunes them to political, bureaucratic, and managerial functions (Marshall, 1989, 1992; Greenfield, 1985; Greenfield, Marshall, & Reed, 1986).
Proposed revisions to administrator preparation programs have been frequent. Some researchers suggest that advanced degrees in curriculum and instruction (Smith & Greene, 1990) or in a substantive area besides education be prerequisites for training in educational administration. The National Association of Elementary School Principals' report, Principals for the 21st Century, identified several building blocks for administrator training programs. The group's suggestions included less generic preparation for administrators in favor of other approaches that address the specific challenges of principals in particular schools, replacement of the existing principal internship with experiences that provide more practical job-related activities, and additional training in effective instructional and school practices (e.g., vision, communication strategies, evaluation, and instructional development).
This chapter examines the preparation of principals. Schools and Staffing Survey questions related to this issue focus mainly on formal education but also include items on internships, inservice training, and prior educational experiences, which researchers have highlighted as important preparatory factors for administrators. The data available through SASS also allow examination of principals' education levels, professional experiences, academic disciplines, and training in relation to various community, school, and demographic characteristics. Looking at changes across the three survey years provides some indication of the impact of reform initiatives directed toward preparing principals as instructional experts and leaders. The chapter is organized under three areas: education and training, field of study for degree programs, and prior experience in education.
Formal Education and Training
In 1993-94, almost two-thirds of public school principals held master's degrees as their highest degree and slightly over one-third were educated at a post-master's level (i.e., education specialist/professional diploma or doctorate). Figure 6 displays the percentage of principals at each education level for the three survey years. As the graphic shows, the percentage of principals in public schools with the master's as their highest degree increased from 53 percent in 1987-88 to 63 percent in 1993-94, while the percentage of principals with doctorates remained essentially unchanged for those two years. The increase in the percentage of public school principals with master's degrees appears to be related to a decline in education specialist degrees and professional diplomas. The percentage of principals with those degrees, which require at least one year of training beyond the master's degree, decreased from 35 in 1987-88 to 26 in 1993-94.