Principal and Teacher Preparation to Support the Needs of Diverse Students

Principals and teachers have an undeniable influence on the educational outcomes of their students, so it is important to consider the extent to which they are receiving adequate preparation in their preservice training programs. However, the evidence base on the quality of these programs suggests there is substantial room for improvement, particularly in the area of preparing educators for supporting a diversifying student body. This report presents findings from surveys of nationally representative samples of school leaders and teachers who responded to questions about the preservice training they received prior to beginning their work as educators. These findings would be useful to for policymakers and administrators of principal and teacher preparation programs. While principals and teachers generally felt well-prepared for working in schools, there were a handful of areas where preparation appeared to be lacking, particularly regarding preparation to support black, Latino, and low-income students.