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State presentation details seven-domain pipeline for school leaders, plans for a leader tracking system
Summary
Delaware Department of Education officials told the State Board they are pursuing a seven-domain approach to developing school leaders, including standards alignment (PSEL), preservice reviews, induction and credentialing, and a prototype statewide leader-tracking system; an equity-centered principal pipeline is operating with nine LEAs.
Michael Taylor, director of the Educator Excellence office, and Brandy Fox, education associate for school leadership, presented a comprehensive, seven-domain model the department says will strengthen recruitment, preparation, induction and advancement of school leaders across Delaware.
Taylor framed the work around seven steps and five drivers aimed at "developing a sustainable educator workforce that supports equitable access to excellent teaching and leading for all students." He said Delaware has recent apprenticeship expansions (including a paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeship awaiting approval and a K-12 teacher apprenticeship under recruitment) and cited a recent "Raise the Bar" report showing Delaware ranked highly for post-pandemic workforce growth.
Fox walked the board through the seven domains the department uses to align policy to practice. "We were the first state to adopt the PSEL standards for leadership in 2016," Fox said, and the department is using those standards to align leadership preparation and preservice programs. She described regulatory anchors (references to regulations she cited by number) and three alternate route or principal-prep programs that help broaden the pipeline.
The presenters described tools intended to make hiring and advancement more deliberate and less biased: a district toolkit for position posting, screening, structured interview questions and performance tasks aligned to PSEL, and leadership-preparation reports and public-facing infographics that will feed future accountability and program reviews.
Taylor described a prototype leader-tracking system developed with the Data Service Center that would let teachers and district leaders maintain profiles, map career pathways and forecast openings to support succession planning. "We would be the first state to have a statewide leader tracking system," Taylor said, and presenters said staff changes delayed a planned public rollout but that the team expects to move the project forward next year.
Fox described the Equity Center principal pipeline (nine participating local education agencies) and said the department funds LEA action plans, site visits and professional learning communities to create locally tailored succession strategies. The presenters emphasized data-driven, field-based work, frequent check-ins on a five-year strategic plan and piloting a national preview tool to assess leadership systems.
Board members praised the hands-on approach and teacher-leadership emphasis, and presenters invited continued feedback as they prepare public reports and shift parts of the work into accountability for the 2025-26 school year.
