Most principals face obstacles to professional learning—time, coverage, and funds—with funding obstacles concentrated in schools serving many students of color¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? 84% of principals reported obstacles to pursuing professional development; the top reasons were not enough time (67%), insufficient coverage for leaving the building (43%), and not enough money (42%). → Levin 2020 q2 i? Half of principals serving schools with high percentages of students of color (50%) reported lacking money for professional development, compared with fewer than one third (32%) in schools with low percentages of students of color. → Levin 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Levin 2020¶

Levin, S., Leung, M., Edgerton, A. K., & Scott, C. (2020). Elementary school principals’ professional learning: Current status and future needs. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. http://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/professional-learning-principals

q2 · i? · associational · r2

NAESP-LPI survey findings on obstacles (Figure 7), reported as descriptive percentages for all respondents in the key findings section.

"More than four in five elementary school principals (84%) indicated that they faced obstacles to pursuing professional development. The top three reasons were: not enough time (67%), insufficient coverage for leaving the building (43%), and not enough money (42%)."

Levin 2020 (2)¶

Levin, S., Leung, M., Edgerton, A. K., & Scott, C. (2020). Elementary school principals’ professional learning: Current status and future needs. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. http://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/professional-learning-principals

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Subgroup comparison by school racial composition reported in the key findings, showing a funding-access gap across school types.

"Half of principals serving schools with high percentages of students of color reported lacking money for professional development (50%), compared with fewer than one third of principals of schools with low percentages of students of color (32%)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Funding is a top procurement challenge for districts, and many districts treat learning technology as a supplemental purchase rather than part of core curriculum budgets — related
• Most teachers and principals reported satisfaction with professional opportunities, school environment, and the TIF program — related
• Most coaches rate their professional development as effective, and administrators describe it as tailored, timely, and multi-year — related
• Most U.S. elementary school principals report access to professional development content identified as important for building leadership capacity — related
• Far fewer elementary principals participate in authentic, job-embedded professional learning than have access to professional development content — related
• U.S. school funding is highly inequitable: districts serving the most students of color spend $1,800 less per student, and wealthier districts spend two to three times what the poorest can — related
• Most U.S. schools report teachers are not sufficiently trained to use technology, and half of teachers cite lack of training as a major obstacle — related
• Schools where principals reported fewer technology barriers had higher student access and use and higher teacher access, use, assignments, and professional development — related