Kudos to State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield for advocating her proposal to streamline certification requirements for school administrators, including principals and superintendents. It’s long overdue for Idaho school districts to have the option of opening leadership positions to individuals who don’t necessarily want or need to follow the traditional path of completing a state-approved program at an accredited college or university, which typically requires at least 30 semester hours of graduate study in school administration aimed at preparing school principals.
Before diving deeper, it’s important to acknowledge that school and district leaders play a critical role in driving educational outcomes. Research from respected researchers and organizations like the Hoover Institution’s Eric Hanushek and The Wallace Foundation has shown that highly effective principals can significantly boost student achievement—leading to gains of up to seven additional months of learning per year for students at their schools. Conversely, ineffective principals can harm student outcomes.
Further studies, especially from Hanushek, highlight that the impact of principal effectiveness is even more pronounced in disadvantaged schools. This makes it all the more crucial for Idaho’s school districts to explore alternative pipelines for school leadership. Districts like Wilder—where only 27% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and a mere 12% were proficient in math according to the 2023-24 state assessments—should be actively considering new ways to develop leadership talent. Neighboring Caldwell School District, with only 34% proficiency in ELA and 20% in Math, shows that change is desperately needed.
Back in 2003, I worked as a researcher for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute on a national report titled Better Leaders for America’s Schools: A Manifesto. The report concluded:
“For at least a generation, as American public education has stagnated, the conventional wisdom about leadership has focused on an old idea: certify educators to fix the problem. Today, two decades after we were pronounced a “nation at risk” as a consequence of the lackluster performance of our schools, we must face the fact that the conventional wisdom is wrong. It’s too inbred. It has relied on educators to decide the requirements for rising within the field of education—effectively barring the door to everyone else. Despite good intentions and honest effort, no evidence yet shows a correlation between the credentials required of school leaders and the results produced by their schools. In fact, a surplus of credentialed candidates to be principals is being produced while schools flounder without effective captains at their helms.”
This statement is as true now as it was 20+ years ago. Idaho’s public school districts continue to operate under a leadership certification system that mirrors the outdated approach described above. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. In 2019, the Idaho legislature created a charter school administrator certification as an alternative to the traditional certification process. During the debate, critics warned that this would “disrespect education,” “weaken the profession,” and “lower student performance.” Similar canards are being tossed around at Superintendent Critchfield’s reasonable proposals now.
Yet, since 2019, Idaho’s public charter schools have embraced this alternative pathway for some of their leaders. It works. As of now, over 50 charter school administrators have taken advantage of this certification, including leaders at some of the state’s top-performing charter schools: Coeur D’Alene Charter Academy, Alturas Preparatory Academy in Idaho Falls, Compass Public Charter School in Meridian, Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, The Academy in Pocatello, Idaho Arts in Nampa, Gem Prep Online, and Idaho Virtual Academy, just to name a few.
I’m often asked by lawmakers, educators, and Idahoans who love their state, “What lessons can district schools learn from charter schools?” My answer is clear on this issue: side with Superintendent Critchfield and embrace the opportunity to broaden the talent pool available to lead our district schools. As argued in the Fordham report from two decades ago: “The solution is not to impose more requirements, but to enlarge the talent pool and welcome the best leaders from wherever they may be.”
We need not look further than our own charter schools to see that it’s time to offer district schools the same flexibility. Districts should have the option to explore new pathways for leadership. They can choose to adopt these options or not, but they must at least have the opportunity to chart a new course.
