As the issue of leadership grows more prominent nationally, many states and districts are beginning to look at various measures to improve school administration.

Some, such as Boston and New York City, are adopting recruitment incentives to lure people into administration, including signing bonuses and salary increases. Oklahoma is among states that have restructured administrator licensure requirements and are wrestling with the issue of what experience and qualifications principals and superintendents need. Other states are improving administrator preparation programs. Louisiana, for example, has established a "principals' academy" at one of its public universities. Such "principals' academies" or "principals' institutes" are generally master's degree programs for working educators and often focus on preparing administrators to work in hard-to-staff schools.

Philadelphia is taking steps to cultivate senior teachers or lower-level administrators for the principalship through alternative preparation or apprenticeship programs. Alabama is developing mentoring programs for new principals along the line of induction programs for new teachers.

In addition, districts increasingly are linking student and school performance to principals' salary increases.

Additional summaries of state policies are included below.