How registered principal apprenticeships are filling gaps one year in
By Anna Merod
One year into the federal registered principal apprenticeship program, the model is being seen not just as a tool to address principal turnover but also as a way to improve overall school climate and in the process tackle teacher shortages as well.
Research shows that when a principal leaves a school, teacher turnover rises and student achievement declines. Models like registered principal apprenticeships aim to retain and boost the quality of principals and ultimately improve school culture, education leaders say.
Using U.S. Department of Labor funds, these apprenticeships help aspiring principals pursue a master’s degree while receiving on-the-job training under the mentorship of an experienced principal
“It’s a no-brainer investing in the leadership pipeline, because better principals equal better working conditions, better environment, better culture, better opportunities for both students and staff,” said Ronn Nozoe, CEO of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
A National Center for Education Statistics report released in July 2023 found that more experienced principals left the profession in 2021-22 at slightly higher rates than for all public school principals. Some 15% of those with 10 or more years of experience exited the profession in 2021-22, compared to 11% of all public school principals.
Nozoe and other education leaders said they foresee registered principal apprenticeship programs growing in popularity, as has happened since the registered teacher apprenticeship model launched in January 2022. In fact, Rhode Island, Ohio and Virginia are set to roll out their own registered principal apprenticeships after North Dakota became the first to get federal approval in July 2023.
North Dakota’s approach
When Kirsten Baesler stepped into her role as North Dakota’s superintendent of public instruction in 2012, the state was already facing a critical teacher shortage.
To address recruitment barriers, including high cost and access challenges to earning a teaching degree, North Dakota launched a teacher apprenticeship program targeting paraprofessionals in rural communities.
Then, after examining teacher retention rates, state education leaders found teachers commonly left the profession because they didn’t feel supported by their school leadership, Baesler said. That key finding led the state to pursue a registered principal apprenticeship program.
Just as schools provide wraparound support for students, Baesler said, teachers should have that same level of support from school leadership.
The state’s registered principal apprenticeship program is free to participants and is covered through $150,000 in federal Title II Supporting Effective Instruction state grants, said Laurie Matzke, assistant superintendent at the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Districts pay the apprentice’s salary, but all other program costs are covered.
When the program began last year, 11 aspiring principals enrolled in a school leadership master’s program at North Dakota State University. This year, another 10 principal apprentices are attending the University of North Dakota.
The North Dakota program is open to administrators like assistant principals, instructional coaches and special education directors — but not to teachers. That’s because it would be difficult for them to balance their teaching schedules with the required hours shadowing a principal, Matzke said.
Tips for developing principal apprenticeships
In June, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the National Center for Grow Your Own released a playbook for school leaders interested in rolling out registered principal apprenticeship programs.
Developing these programs is cost-effective when done well, said David Donaldson, founder and managing partner of the National Center for Grow Your Own. North Dakota’s program, he said, has shown a great return on investment, considering the state has covered 11 apprentices’ degrees and training for $150,000 total over the past year.
It’s crucial that registered principal apprenticeship programs focus on quality and provide a true clinical internship or residency experience, Donaldson said.
Although states may have different goals for their programs, certain elements should be the same, said Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota’s superintendent of public instruction. That includes developing a solid and detailed memorandum of understanding with higher education institutions and school districts.
The playbook also aims to help education leaders consider how to measure program accountability, outcomes and success for state legislators. In North Dakota’s case, Baesler said she will look for impacts on students’ achievement and whether they are reading and writing on grade level.
“The research component of this is going to be particularly important,” Baesler said. “I hope we can also lead the way in presenting that evidence and really helping the rest of the nation identify which pathways to a teacher license and/or a principal credential … are the most effective as it relates to the main thing — are our students performing?”
Apprenticeships in Texas’ Ector County
Last year, Texas’ Ector County Independent School District became the first individual school district to tap into the Labor Department’s registered principal apprenticeship model, training four principals.
The 33,500-student district had already been implementing DOL’s teacher apprenticeship model for several years. According to Ector ISD Superintendent Scott Muri, the district wanted to apply the success it had reached with apprentice teachers to school leadership development. The district’s teacher vacancy rate has dropped from 18% to 1% over the past five years, Muri said
Meanwhile, for principal slots, the district had to fill six vacancies among its 45 schools this year alone, he said.
“It’s a difficult job today,” Muri said. “I would say there’s a shortage right now. We should have a long list of people that apply for every principal vacancy, and that just isn’t the case today. And so developing the capacity of our own people is just super critical.”
Ector used $150,000 in federal pandemic relief dollars for technical assistance in applying for the DOL program, according to Rita Lopez, chief of staff at Ector County ISD.
The district then has to cover another $60,000 to fund the salary for an employee to oversee the program.
While last year’s apprentices were assistant principals, Muri envisions the district will eventually identify teachers who would be a good fit. Since the district can help students earn a bachelor’s degree under its teacher apprenticeship model, Muri said, it’s possible Ector could even develop principals down the road by identifying students interested in pursuing education careers.
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