A Study on A Change of School Principals' Role in Today's American Educational Reform : An Analysis on Policies to Improve School Principals Quality

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the position and a new role of school principals in today's American educational reform through an analysis on some policies to improve quality of them. In the first half of 1980s, many national reports were released criticizing the quality of education. This process is called "first wave" of the educational reform, and there the Federal and State Governments were having the initiative. But in the latter half, "second wave" has come. In this wave, it is said that individual schools should have the initiative to develop the educational reform. As an individual school has been regarded as the optimal unit for realizing the educational reform, school principals are recognized to be the key ingredient. They are being expected to take the leadership of school-focused staff development, decision-making through teachers' participation within their school, and advancement of the educational reform. On the other hand, they have had some severe problems since 1970s. In overcoming those problems, improving school principals quality is one of the most important subjects in today's educational reform. And a lot of States in U. S. A. have taken some policies for improving it. Those policies are about certificate, selection, and pre- and in-service education of them. The trends of the policies are reflecting the problems and a new role expectation of today's school principals. The Contents are as follows: 1. Educational reform in U.S.A. and school principals quality improvement (1) Purpose of this paper and school principals in American educational reform (2) School principals quality improvement as a reform subject 2. Performance-based certificate and selection systems (1) Certificate requirements (2) Selection process 3. Practical pre-service and collaborative in-service education (1) Pre-service education (2) In-service education 4. A new role expectation of school principals-conclusion