Dive Brief:

• The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) passed new standards for school leaders, incorporating input from more than 1,000 principals and superintendents.  
• The updated standards are meant to enforce both higher expectations and greater student achievement by providing benchmarks.
• Over a year was spent on the revamp, which passed by unanimous vote.

Dive Insight:

The NPBEA standards, which are voluntary, hadn’t been updated since 2008. The new guidelines stress student learning and achievement.

JoAnn D. Bartoletti, the executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and NPBEA chair, told eSchool News that the overhaul clarifies administrator roles while helping guide their direct application to student learning. 

The update is also part of an ongoing push to raise the overall graduation rate, putting more pressure on administrators and teachers to ensure schools are graded based on test scores.