South Carolina Principal Leadership Network Improves Leadership Capacity and Coaching Skills

Principals play a pivotal role in school improvement and student success. Effective principals foster a school culture of high standards, trust, professional development, and supportive structures where both teachers and students continuously learn. To develop effective leaders in South Carolina schools, a partnership was formed between the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), the University of South Carolina (UofSC), and the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED) in 2020. The partnership, named the South Carolina Principal Leadership Network (SCPLN) and funded by the federal Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant, provided school leaders with evidence-based training, on-site coaching, and networking opportunities via communities of practice (CoPs) over a two-year period.