How prevalent among public school principals is participation in different professional development activities, and how does the prevalence of various activities vary with school characteristics and principal experience?

In 2017–18, most (95 percent) public school principals with at least one year of experience at their current school reported participating in professional development during the prior school year (data not shown; see table 1 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020045). Among these principals, the most prevalent type of professional development activity was participating in workshops or conferences in which they were not a presenter (94 percent), followed by participating in a principal network² (77 percent; Figure 1). Both of these are activities that a principal can participate in on his/her own. The next most prevalent professional development activities are those likely to have been part of district-sponsored professional development such as visits to other schools designed to improve their own work as principal or participating in mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching of principals. Participation in workshops, conferences, or training in which they were a presenter was reported by 48 percent of principals. The least prevalent professional development activity was taking university course(s) related to their role as principal.

Figure 1. Among public school principals with at least 1 year of experience at their current school and who participated in professional development during the last school year, percentage participating in various kinds of professional development: 2017–18

¹ Participating in a principal network includes a group of principals organized within school systems, by an outside agency, or through the internet.
NOTE: Percentages are from table 3; see https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020045. Percentages are among those principals who indicated that, during the last school year (2016–17), they participated in any professional development activities as a principal at their current school.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Principal Data File,” 2017–18.

Participation rates in most types of professional development activities varied little by principal experience or school characteristics (data not shown; see table 3 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020045). However, public school principal experiences with professional development activities that often need direct district coordination or support varied considerably by the type of community in which the school was located. A higher percentage (78 percent) of city school principals visited other schools to improve their own work than principals serving in suburban, town, or rural schools (Figure 2). Likewise, city school principals reported participating in mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching of principals at a higher rate than principals in suburban, town, and rural schools.

Figure 2. Among public school principals with at least 1 year of experience at their current school and who participated in professional development during the last school year, percentage participating in activities often requiring school district coordination, by community type: 2017–18

NOTE: Percentages are from table 3; see https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020045. Percentages are among those principals who indicated that, during the last school year (2016–17), they participated in any professional development activities as a principal at their current school.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Principal Data File,” 2017–18.

Research indicates that principals who have mentors or receive coaching are more effective leaders (Grissom and Harrington 2010), and principals may be more likely to benefit from this type of assistance early in their careers (Herman et al. 2017; Gates et al. 2020). Reported engagement in mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching of principals did vary among public school principals in 2017–18 by years of experience. Principals with 1 or 2 years of experience more often reported participating in these activities than did more experienced principals (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Among public school principals with at least 1 year of experience at their current school and who participated in professional development during the last school year, percentage participating in mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching of principals, by principal total years of experience: 2017–18

² Participating in a principal network includes a group of principals organized within school systems, by an outside agency, or through the internet.