Principal Licensure: Principal Residency Network

Research on effective schools points to the principal as the key individual in improving schools and student learning. Effective schools have visionary educational leaders who are knowledgeable about instruction and experienced with management, inspire the work of teachers in the classroom, impact the lives of students, and lead the reform and redesign of school communities.

The Greater Boston Principal Residency Network (PRN) is an apprenticeship-based principal preparation and licensure program for aspiring leaders of small schools. The program represents a partnership between the Center for Collaborative Education and Northeastern University. PRN seeks to spur systemic school change by producing a new cadre of educational leaders who are prepared to take the helm of small, innovative, personalized public schools. The program centers on rigorous field experience, guided by exceptional practitioners, within the context of schools that have demonstrated significant commitment to small size and school redesign.

Program Objectives

• To nurture a new generation of educational leaders who are prepared for the complexities of founding and leading small schools, or redesigning larger schools to help diverse populations of students be academically successful
• To refine a model for the preparation of educational leaders that is competency-based, rooted in real-world practices and problems, and that embeds research and learning in practical application.

The Principal Residency Network meets all Massachusetts Department of Education requirements and competencies including the demonstration of proficiency in addressing the Professional Standards for Administrators.

For more information about PRN licensure program contact Meg Andersen at the Center for Collaborative Education at 1.617.421.0134 x 232.