When the new federal education law passed in 2015 with language allowing states to set aside money for programs that target principals, teacher-leaders, principal-supervisors, and leadership development, many in the education-leadership community were ecstatic.
It was the first time that federal law had been so explicit about school leadership—coming after mounting research in the last two decades on how high-quality leaders affect students’ academic growth.
But some of the programs that states have signaled they intend to set up or expand as a result of this new flexibility may never see the light of day—or may have to be scaled back significantly—if Congress and the Trump administration eliminate nearly $2 billion dollars in Title II, Part A funds that go toward educator effectiveness.
