A Letter to the Editor written by Fund CEO Heather Anichini in response to a New York Times (NYT) article titled “30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts.” Not published by NYT.
To the Editor:
Your article, “30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts,” makes a critical point: success depends on implementation, often led by a strong leader. Yet investing in strong principals, the people responsible for turning ideas with potential into successful daily practice, is missing from the list.
37 top academics and researchers who study education rated a range of ideas for both effectiveness and cost, on a scale of 1 to 7. Image taken from NYT.
A 2021 Wallace Foundation research synthesis, co-written by your panelist Anna Egalite, found that effective principals improve achievement, attendance, and teacher retention. Their influence reaches every classroom, every year they lead. Chicago research shows that the benefits can follow students beyond their principal’s school, into college enrollment and persistence.
This is also an affordable investment. RAND found that comprehensive systems to prepare, hire, and support principals cost districts less than half of 1% of their budgets. Schools with newly-placed principals in those districts outperformed comparison schools in reading and math.
Tutoring, reading instruction, and strong curricula need leaders who can support teachers, organize resources, and make the work stick. Given the research and experience on the ground, it is hard to imagine an investment with a higher return.
If implementation is everything, investing in the people responsible for it deserves a place on the list.
Heather Y. Anichini
Chicago, IL
The writer leads a nonprofit that supports public schools and strong principals in Chicago.