In October 2015, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) adopted the new Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015 (PSEL 2015). These standards replace the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards that have shaped
the landscape of educational leadership for the last 20 years. PSEL 2015 defines leadership effectiveness in terms of the academic success and well-being of each student, drawing attention to students whose needs may require a more intentional focus on leadership development.
Perhaps no students benefit more from an effective principal than those with disabilities. When a principal cultivates a school environment where all students feel safe, supported, and included, students with disabilities and other struggling learners thrive. In years past, principals primarily
focused on complying with various program requirements, laws, and regulations related to educating students with disabilities. Today that focus has expanded beyond compliance to one that taps the instructional capacity of principals to ensure that students with disabilities are ready
for college and careers in the 21st century.
PSEL 2015 and Promoting Principal Leadership for the Success of Students with Disabilities is intended primarily for chief state school officers and their state education agency (SEA) staff. Its ultimate goal is to provide SEAs with actionable steps to promote practices and cultivate competencies for effective principal leadership where each child has an equitable opportunity to succeed with a particular focus on students with disabilities.
This document is supplemental to the PSEL 2015—it is not intended as a replacement. Specifically, this document provides guidance on how the PSEL 2015 can be applied to support inclusive principal leadership for the success of students with disabilities and highlights key
competencies toward that end. In addition to its connection to PSEL 2015, this document closely relates to elements of the upcoming National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Standards and the 2015 Model Principal Supervisor Standards.