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Report criticizes new city principals
Mike Silvestri, The Baltimore Examiner (November 25, 2008)
Of the 48 new principals in Baltimore City schools this year, only three have a “track record of success in turning around a struggling school,” according to a new study.
City schools chief Andres Alonso replaced about one out of every four principals this year as part of his plan to give more autonomy to schools. But the study from the Advocates for Children & Youth shows that only three of those hires had worked for at least two years at a school where test scores climbed higher than the average state increase.
Terrylynn Tyrell, education director for the organization, acknowledged that it is difficult for struggling urban districts to recruit principals.
“We’re not accusing anyone,” she said. “We’re just raising questions.”
The study recommends providing financial incentives to attract high-quality principals. While a gubernatorial candidate a few years ago, Gov. Martin O’Malley had discussed the idea of attracting principals to struggling schools with $200,000 signing bonuses spread over four years, and Alonso has proposed using $20,000 bonuses for principals in 10 percent of schools.
Alonso took criticism earlier this year for pushing more responsibilities to principals. Jimmy Gittings, head of the administrative union, charged that principals were not given the financial training to prepare them to manage their own budgets.
But Alonso backed the principals and said that any who get a school to succeed “now has a record of success, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Clearly, attracting new principals with proven records is a challenge for all urban districts,” he said. “Those principals tend to stay in their schools.”
To develop school leaders from within, the school system brought in principals who have been successful at other schools to act as mentors. In addition, it has created school leadership teams — a principal, assistant principal and teacher — to work with Johns Hopkins and Morgan State universities to improve leadership skills.
The school system found out this school year that students made historic improvements on the standardized tests they took last year, before the 48 new principals were hired. For the first time as a group, elementary and high schools each reached achievement standards that annually grow more rigorous.
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