Educators who become principals often do not have the full range of leadership experience before taking on the complex and constantly changing role of leading a school. The learning curve from teaching to leading is steep and has become steeper. The pandemic has exacerbated ongoing problems such as absenteeism.Poor mental healthAnd use your cell phone.
To smooth this transition and prepare a strong pipeline of school leaders, states are increasingly turning to “self-growth” principal apprenticeship programs.
In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor said With school principals designated as an eligible occupation under the federal apprenticeship program, states can now leverage federal and state funding to support apprentices with master’s degrees and provide on-the-job training and mentoring not included in traditional degree programs.
When federal approval came in July 2023, North Dakota became the first state to create a major apprenticeship program.
“We started planning as soon as we submitted our request to the Department of Labor in January 2023,” said North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Beisler. “We were able to get the program up and running quickly because we knew it would be approved.” The National Grow Your Own Center, a national nonprofit that provides technical assistance to North Dakota education agencies and school districts looking to start their own educator apprenticeship programs, handled the initial application.
This approval opens the way for other states, including Ohio, to begin the process of setting up their own apprenticeship programs. And Rhode Island.
North Dakota’s motivation stemmed from a teacher retention problem, Baesler said. Effective leaders can help address this challenge, but Baesler and her team found that aspiring principals often didn’t receive much real coaching before they were “thrown” into the principal position after completing summer and night courses.
Nearly a year later, the state’s new apprenticeship program has supported 21 candidates from three school districts to advance their leadership training. For more than a year, the apprentices have worked toward an advanced degree in school leadership from North Dakota State University and received hands-on training from mentor principals at their schools. These apprentices are now in full-time, paid positions and have taken on other leadership roles, such as assistant principals, instructional coaches, and deans of students.
Baesler and the state team released a “playbook.””Describes the key steps to starting a domestic principal apprenticeship program.
The playbook details the organizational structure for program deployment, eligibility criteria for college partners, and the state’s specific educational goals, such as introducing personalized learning for all students.
A successful principal apprenticeship program requires quick identification of key roles.
Besler's team worked with the National Center for Education and secured extensive support from all types of national organizations, including the Association of Principals of Primary and Secondary Schools, state teachers unions, and the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union.
David Donaldson, founder and managing partner of the National Grow Your Own Center, said the support streamlined the process of getting federal approval.
The North Dakota Playbook highlights three key stakeholders: the school districts that hire apprentices, the educational partners or colleges that provide the courses needed to earn the credential, and the state education agency that connects the overall effort.
The Department of Education must take responsibility from the beginning to establish non-negotiable standards for education partners, school districts, and apprentices and ensure quality.
Agencies sign memoranda of understanding with partners, secure ongoing funding, and prioritize areas or districts where key apprenticeship programs are most needed.
Bessler wants to fund apprenticeships in rural areas where leadership pipelines are lacking.
Set strong, non-negotiable standards for your apprenticeship program.
Bessler emphasizes in his playbook that both apprentices and university partners must meet certain criteria throughout the process.
The North Dakota Guide recommends that the Department of Education or program sponsor establish an early checkpoint or “trial period” for apprentices. This is the point at which the apprentice may terminate the contract or the state education agency may determine that the apprentice’s performance is unsatisfactory and request that some phase of the training be repeated. This checkpoint occurs three months into the one-year apprenticeship period.
According to Lori Matzke, deputy superintendent of education for the state Department of Education, none of the 21 apprentices in North Dakota have dropped out or been asked to leave the state.
“This is different from a teacher apprenticeship where applicants would drop out halfway through,” Matzke said. “Many of the principal apprentices were already on the leadership track, so they were likely more determined.”
The playbook also recommends that principal trainees have at least three years of teaching experience before applying.
The playbook also recommends that states implement a thorough process to carefully select an educational partner or college. The North Dakota State Education Agency chose North Dakota State University because the university lowered program costs, allowing the state to support more apprenticeship programs.
In North Dakota, apprenticeships were also required to include training on how to deliver competency-based, personalized learning for students, which became a statewide goal for schools after lawmakers passed legislation. The effects will be evident in 2021.
The principal apprenticeship system requires a sustainability plan.
The playbook also emphasizes the need for a sustainability plan to continue and expand apprenticeship programs. To date, the North Dakota Department of Education has allocated a portion of its federal Title II funding for leadership development to this effort.
But as the program expands, Matz said it's unlikely the state will invest more of its Title II funding in core apprenticeship programs.
She pointed to other potential sources of funding, such as $4.1 million allocated to North Dakota as part of a state apprenticeship expansion formula that has so far primarily funded the state’s teacher apprenticeship program.
Both Bessler and Matsuke hope the success of the principal apprenticeship program will convince state lawmakers to fund it.
“We had a high demand for teacher apprenticeships, and the state funded them. If there’s a similar demand for principal apprenticeships, the state can do the same,” Baesler said.