Principle Recommendation

Allow out-of-state, qualified leaders to become school leaders (e.g., deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and curriculum coordinators).[i]

Current Connecticut Statute

CT requires 5 years of teaching experience for school administrators.[ii] Connecticut does not belong to any interstate administrator reciprocity agreements. Some of the state’s requirements for out-of-state administrator candidates go beyond what is required of those candidates in their own states, which makes it difficult to recruit and retain out-of-state highly qualified administrative candidates.

Recently an exceptional West Hartford administrator was forced to resign her position because her out-of-state teaching experience was not judged sufficient to meet the teaching requirements for a CT administrator certificate.[iii] This would not have happened if CT had accepted this administrator’s out-of-state qualifications. Connecticut could broaden the pool of exceptional leaders in this state by passing legislation to permit administrator reciprocity.

Supporting Research

The administrator position is a designated shortage area year after year in Connecticut.[iv]  From 2012 to 2014, there were not enough qualified administrator candidates available to fill needed vacancies. This resulted in 23 administrators being hired via a Durational Shortage Area Permit (DSAP), which was the highest number of DSAPs used for any of the educator ten shortage areas.[v] Compounding this shortage problem, in the next five years, it is estimated that 46% of current administrators will reach retirement age.

Additionally, CT’s neighboring states in the NY metropolitan area and New England region participate in administrator reciprocity agreements.[vi] With the exception of New Jersey, CT’s neighbors also require fewer than the 5 years of teaching experience required of CT administrators. [vii]

Sources