How We’re Preparing Exceptional Principals
School leaders account for up to one-fourth of school-based effects on student achievement. Here’s an overview of how the NC State College of Education’s principal preparation programs have become a national model for preparing dynamic leaders who positively influence a school’s culture and student outcomes.
Where We Are
Our principal preparation programs encompass over a half-dozen leadership academies and cohorts that serve nearly a quarter of the public school districts in North Carolina and have graduated 140 principals, assistant principals and other school leaders since graduating their first cohort in 2012:
![Map of North Carolina where principal preparation programs are located.](https://ced.ncsu.edu/updated/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/05/NC-Map-for-Principal-Preparation-no-caption-1.png)
Our principal preparation programs are nationally recognized for developing highly-effective school leaders.
1 of Only 5
Principal Preparation Programs Among 770+ in Nation Recognized as Exemplary by University Council for Educational Administration
#22
National Ranking in Educational Leadership and Administration Specialty Category by U.S. News and World Report
90%
of NELA First-Year Principals Met or Exceeded Growth in High-need, Title I Schools vs. 75% of Experienced Principals (2014-15)
Meet a Few of Our Alumni
“This program pulled me so far out of my comfort zone that, looking back now, I know I could never go back to the person I was before. I now walk into school buildings energized, prepared and equipped. Not only did the programs prepare the professional in me, but they also deeply developed the person I am as well. I am better because of this experience.”
– Otis Maben ’18MSA
In the News
![Principal Donnell Cannon](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Donnell.jpg)
Hunt Institute: Lessons from the Field
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![The cover of Meaningful Partnerships case study](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NELA-Case-Study.png)
Hunt Institute: Principal Preparation Case Study
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![Two school leaders talk in a classroom](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PrincipalPreparationProgram2.jpg)
EdTalk: How NELA Prepares Principals to Lead N.C. Schools
Listen to the Podcast
![A principal with students.](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/PrincipalPreparationProgram.jpg)
EdNC: NC State’s Acclaimed Principal Program Assesses Candidate Character
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![An elementary school principal with young students.](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/principalleadership.jpg)
Education Week: Principal-Prep Programs Adapting to Meet Real-World Demands of Job
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![Members of the governor's commission on education listen to presentations about the principal pipeline.](https://ced.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/governorscommissions.jpg)
EdNC: Governor’s Commission Discusses Principal Pipeline and Preparation
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