ASCD has long supported quality preparation programs for educators and standards for teachers and administrators that are developed and monitored by the profession. Much of our work as an association focuses on improving the quality of leadership in schools. Toward that end, ASCD, several years ago, embarked on a significant new project to develop educational leadership standards for universities offering graduate programs in educational leadership. Last October, ASCD submitted the standards to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the relevant accrediting body. NCATE decided to table consideration of ASCD's educational leadership standards until fall 1994.
To understand why educational leadership standards are so vital—and why ASCD will continue to pursue this important effort—a historical context is useful.
In 1988, ASCD, in collaboration with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), began to develop educational leadership standards. Our efforts ended without a unified set of standards, and NAESP then independently developed standards for elementary and middle school principals that were subsequently approved by NCATE.
For some time, ASCD has been concerned that most universities separate, rather than integrate, administrator preparation programs for different job roles. We believe that all administrators require knowledge in the areas included in our guidelines. Preparation programs should forge linkages among job roles, functions, and processes, modeling the collaboration and cooperation essential in our schools. These ideas are part of our statement of beliefs about educational leadership programs (see box below).
Therefore, ASCD began to establish a new set of standards for graduate level preparation programs that train principals, curriculum directors, supervisors, and superintendents. Our development process was deliberate and methodical, and it was informed by feedback and comments from focus groups of practitioners and a random sample of 3,000 ASCD members in five job categories.
What emerged from that process was a set of standards that suggest new directions for preparation programs for school leaders. ASCD's standards propose a portfolio review process to provide institutions with opportunities to demonstrate, through a variety of media, that their students have mastered the skills taught in their course-work. ASCD believes that educators must engage in reflection, constantly judging the effectiveness of practice and the rationale for that practice.
ASCD's Executive Council strongly supported the development of these standards and allocated resources to support ASCD's receipt and review of portfolios.
NCATE Decision
As noted earlier, ASCD submitted its standards in October for consideration by NCATE. ASCD is a constituent member of NCATE, along with national organizations representing teacher educators, teachers, state and local policymakers, and other specialty areas of curriculum and supervision.
In submitting our new standards, ASCD suggested to NCATE that institutions with programs for elementary and middle level principals might choose either ASCD's proposed standards for leadership or those developed by NAESP, or both. Previously, NCATE followed this practice in approving dual standards for other professional groups such as the school media specialists.
NCATE had an opportunity in October to take a bold step toward transforming educational leadership and becoming a force for change and growth. However, NCATE's Specialty Areas Study Board chose to table consideration of the ASCD standards until fall 1994 and directed us to meet with other groups with administrator members to craft integrated guidelines. At its October meeting, ASCD's Executive Council voted to move forward in this collaborative effort.
ASCD's standards are a constituency-based model derived from research and best practice, developed by an Association whose membership spans the full spectrum of administrators from schools to universities. If we expect our K–2 schools to demonstrate effective, performance-based assessment of students, our universities should do the same in their administrator preparation programs. We believe that these standards are the right way to move, and we remain convinced that their adoption will strengthen both NCATE and its constituent organizations.
Our Beliefs
Our Beliefs
The standards ASCD has developed for programs in educational leadership are grounded in the following beliefs:
ASCD believes that a holistic approach to administrator preparation should be encouraged.
ASCD believes that our Association has a unique ability to bridge job roles, to unite rather than divide.
ASCD believes that many universities are examining organizational changes that will focus on integration.
ASCD believes that university preparation programs should model what we want to see happening in our schools.
ASCD believes that in order to make our schools of education strong and responsive, we must engage university personnel in significant self-reflection and growth.