Those lessons are designed to meet state and city standards that encompass a broader range of skills and knowledge than the ITBS measures. Many principals simply lack time to learn new skills. Some principals refused to change their leadership style, reports Morris Williamson of North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Al Bertani of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association holds a different view. Many external partners failed to engage principals in their programs, he says.
Most external partners see that their primary focus in the schools is working with teachers.
The School Board bears some responsibility for these shortcomings, Bertani says. There's been no systematic professional development for external partners to work in this role as external change agents in the school. It's almost assumed that if you're an external partner, you have that. Vallas principals Replacing principals, the most serious consequence of probation, also had mixed results, observers say. To date the School Board has ousted 40, according to the Office of Accountability.