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As School Principals Continue to Leave, UConn Beefs Up Training Program

According to the Connecticut Association of Schools, principal turnover has gotten worse over the last five years.

Being a principal today is a lot different from 20 years ago. Or even ten years ago.

"The demands of accountability have shortened the timeline and increased the expectations for showing improvement outcomes," said Richard Gonzales, director of educational leadership preparation programs at UConn's Neag School of Education. 

Gonzales said in an era of high-stakes testing, principals are expected to make improvements in two or three years, when in reality it takes three to five years to turn a school around.

Principals are also taking on other, non-traditional roles, as schools are now more than just places to learn -- they're community hubs, and sometimes food pantries and health centers.

Leonard Epps, principal at the Journalism and Media Academy magnet school in Hartford, said principals need to be committed to the work, and not consider it a stepping stone to something else.

"I think that people enter the profession and they think, 'Oh all I have to do is this this and this,' and then you're faced with a lot of different challenges, and a lot of things that may not be what you expected,"
Epps said. "Or you may think it's easier somewhere else, and you'll say, 'Oh wow, I'll just go and work in this district because I don't have to deal with x, y and z.' But I think, yeah, at the end of the day, everyone is not cut out for this."

To the meet the changing demands, UConn is getting a $5.45 million dollar grant over the next four years to strengthen its principal training program -- which is already widely considered to be one of the best around. A portion of that money will be going to school districts in Hartford, Meriden, and New Haven, which are partnering with UConn.

According to the Connecticut Association of Schools, principal turnover has gotten worse over the last five years, and turnover among assistant principals is even higher. UConn will also be developing a data tracking system to follow graduates through their careers as principals.

David finds and tells stories about education and learning for WNPR radio and its website. He also teaches journalism and media literacy to high school students, and he starts the year with the lesson: “Conflicts of interest: Real or perceived? Both matter.” He thinks he has a sense of humor, and he also finds writing in the third person awkward, but he does it anyway.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.