School Leader

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to transforming the educational opportunities we offer the city’s 200,000 school-aged children, and we believe that begins with visionary school leaders who are committed to ensuring that all students achieve.

Principals, defined as principals, assistant or vice principals, and directors of career & technical education. NOTE: Supervisors of special education are considered principals for the purposes of Act 13.

Principals play a central role in the professional and academic success of each individual in their school. We measure the success of these leaders with a tool specific to their responsibilities. This tool, the Principal Evaluation System used throughout the Commonwealth, captures different aspects of school leadership to provide a holistic view of a Principal’s effectiveness, as it utilizes both practice and student outcomes.

Assistant Principals at the District work with Principals to manage the school’s instructional programming and day-to-day operations of a school, reinforce the clear vision for learning for all students, ensure a safe, secure and orderly learning environment, and work with the Principal to create strong relationships with people throughout the school community. The District uses the Assistant Principal Evaluation System to capture different aspects of school leadership to provide a holistic view of an Assistant Principal’s effectiveness, by measuring both the Assistant Principal’s actions, and student outcomes.