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This is the fifth report from an evaluation of the Principal Pipeline Initiative (PPI), in which six large urban school districts have received support for strengthening novice principals' capabilities through specific strategies. Data for the evaluation were collected from late 2011 through spring 2015, using interviews with district administrators, surveys and focus groups of novice principals, and reviews of district documents. Details about study methods appear in the body of this report. This culminating report summarizes findings about implementation of the four PPI components across the six districts, as of spring 2015 when all components were expected to be up and running. The report details the implementation approaches, accomplishments, and challenges of participating districts; identifies factors that helped or impeded their progress; highlights lessons learned; and presents implications for policymakers and other districts. An evaluation report about the effects of the PPI on student achievement is scheduled for publication in 2018. This study of the initiative's implementation was designed to draw lessons about the process and early results of the work done in districts with varying histories in different states and regions. Intended audiences for the report include other school districts that might embark on similar approaches and policymakers who might support such efforts. The following are appended: (1) Survey Administration, Weighting, and Analyses; and (2) An Exploratory Comparative Analysis. [For Volume 1 in this series, see ED555867; for Volume 2, see ED555868; for Volume 3, see ED555869; and for Volume 4, see ED570471.]

The third in a series of reports evaluating a multi-year Wallace initiative documents ways in which six districts are working to improve school leadership districtwide. It describes several new measures districts are implementing, including systematic support for assistant principals; the use of performance standards to hire and evaluate principals, as well as to inform training and support for them; and the establishment of data systems to promote more effective hiring, identify principals in need of support and provide feedback to the programs that trained them. This report is not the last word on the Principal Pipeline Initiative. Future reports on implementation and on effects will assess the actions taken by districts and their partner institutions in this initiative. A special-focus implementation report in 2015 will analyze principal evaluation systems. A 2016 report will assess implementation of the initiative overall, identifying the structures and policies put in place, the results observed, and factors that have supported or impeded the sites' progress in carrying out their plans. The reports also contains the following appendices (1): Survey Weighting and Analyses; and (2): An Exploratory Comparative Analysis. [For Volume 1 in this series, see ED555867; for Volume 2, see ED555868.]

This second report of an ongoing evaluation of "The Wallace Foundation's Principal Pipeline Initiative" describes the six participating school districts' activities in school leader preparation and support and analyzes their progress over two years. The evaluation, conducted by "Policy Studies Associates" and the "RAND Corporation," is intended to inform policy makers and practitioners about the process of implementing policies and practices for school leadership and about the results of investments in the Principal Pipeline Initiative. This report is based on collection and analysis of qualitative data, including semi-structured interviews in spring 2013 with 113 administrators in districts and partner institutions, and surveys of novice principals and assistant principals. Districts are following grant requirements. For leader preparation, all are initiating or strengthening partnerships with external programs, and five of the six have also bolstered district-run programs. The district programs and varying numbers of external preparation programs are showing the desired features: selective admissions, standards-based content, problem-based learning, cohort models, and clinical experience. To support novice leaders, all districts have coaching arrangements of varying duration, and all have brought in assistance to build the capacity of coaches, mentors, and supervisors. The report also contains the Appendix: An Exploratory Comparative Analysis. [For Volume 1 in this series, see ED555867; for Volume 3, see ED555869.]

This first report of an ongoing evaluation of "The Wallace Foundation's Principal Pipeline Initiative" describes the six participating school districts' plans and activities during the first year of their grants. The evaluation, conducted by "Policy Studies Associates" and the "RAND Corporation," is intended to inform policy makers and practitioners about the process of carrying out new policies and practices for school leadership and about the results of investments in the Principal Pipeline Initiative. This report is based on collection and analysis of qualitative data, including the districts' proposals, work plans, and progress reports and semi-structured interviews in spring 2012 with 91 administrators employed by districts and their partner institutions. Leaders in all districts report wanting to enlarge their pools of strong applicants for principal positions and to identify and cultivate leadership talent as early as possible in educators' careers. Districts are actively working on all required pipeline components: (1) with stakeholder participation, they have developed standards and identified competencies for principals, which they plan to use to guide principal training, hiring, evaluation, and support; (2) they are initiating or strengthening partnerships with university training programs; (3) for hiring, they have standard performance tasks and are developing systems to capture data on candidates' experience; (4) they have diagnostic evaluation tools and are working to build the capacity of principal supervisors and mentors to support principals' skill development. In addition, all are also bolstering district-run training programs for graduates of university training programs who aspire to become principals. The report also includes the Appendix: District Implementation Summaries, August 2012: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Denver Public Schools (DPS), Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), New York City Department of Education (DOE), and Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). [For Volume 2 in this series, see ED555868; for Volume 3, see ED555869.]