School principals, not formulas, should decide how to spend education dollars

Link: School Principals Should Have More Say In How Education Funding Is Spent

A common myth is that principals are like CEOs of their schools, with authority to make key decisions and strategically deploy resources. The reality, though, is quite different. Principals typically are treated like middle managers, with little control over the $694 billion in annual U.S. public education spending. Instead, decisions often are made by legislators and district-level bureaucrats, who are far removed from students and classrooms.

This is problematic, in part, because research suggests that limiting school-level control over budget decisions creates inefficiencies. Studies show providing principals with flexibility can better align spending with school priorities. After all, principals typically know what’s best for their students, and effective leaders have been shown to have a substantial effect on student learning.

It’s time for state legislators and school district officials to recognize that principals know what’s best for students by giving them greater autonomy over spending decisions. With education spending on the rise, now is a great time to do so.

Submitted July 30, 2019 at 03:39PM by punkthesystem https://ift.tt/334mYfk