Chapter 2: Impacts of Technology on Principal Preparation

According to Jack Welch, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about growing others” (SUCCESS Staff, 2018, para. 1). The K–12 principal is responsible for the professional growth of all key stakeholders to the educational process—students themselves, but also teachers and staff. The principal also has a prime responsibility to facilitate effective communication with parents, school board members, and the superintendent.

The heightened role of technology has required that the principal continues to grow as well. It is essential for the principal to stay aware of technology developments in all areas of school functioning: curricular innovation, record keeping, and communication are three of the most important. As a result, technology needs to play an integral role in principal preparation as well as ongoing professional development. One of the most efficient ways to deliver this preparation to K–12 principals is through online instruction. It is an efficient and often cost-effective way to enable busy principals who face unpredictable schedules and the need to be on site with a convenient way to continue their learning. In addition, those students who are preparing to become K–12 principals can achieve heightened awareness of the many ways in which technology can be leveraged to facilitate effective leadership of their future schools.