1. (a)

   1. (1) A design team shall be appointed to develop the program. In selecting design team members, the superintendent may consult with professional associations that primarily serve school administrators, higher education partners, and others to facilitate a design team with expertise in elementary, middle, and high school leadership, as well as curriculum, school climate, data management, assessment, instruction, mentoring, and other areas necessary for leading a school with high expectations for academic achievement and growth and a positive school climate. At a minimum, the membership of the design team shall include all of the following:

      1. a. The State Superintendent of Education, or his or her designee.
      2. b. Three serving principals, including a high school, middle school, and elementary school principal appointed by the Board of Directors of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.
      3. c. Three serving assistant principals, including a high school, middle school, and elementary school assistant principal appointed by the Board of Directors of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.
      4. d. Two local superintendents of education appointed by the Board of Directors of the School Superintendents of Alabama.
      5. e. Three serving public school teachers, including a high school, middle school, and elementary school teacher appointed by the Board of Directors of the Alabama Education Association.
      6. f. Two members who are each serving as a member of a local board of education appointed by the Board of Directors of the Alabama Association of School Boards.
      7. g. One member who is serving as an instructor at an institution of higher education in the state and is familiar with the responsibilities and roles of principals appointed by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
      8. h. Two members appointed from the state at-large by the Board of Directors of the A+ Education Partnership.
      9. i. Four members appointed from the state at-large by the Governor.
   2. (2) The appointing authorities shall coordinate their appointments to assure the team membership is inclusive and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and economic diversity of the state.
2. (b) To assist in developing and implementing the program, the department may contract with a professional learning organization in the state that has demonstrated successful experience in providing training to principals in distributive and collaborative leadership. In addition, the design team may contract with a national organization with demonstrated expertise in the most current research related to effective principal leadership.

3. (c) The goal of the program is to increase the effectiveness of school administrators resulting in improved academic outcomes for all students. At a minimum, the program shall provide all of the following:

   1. (1) Statewide infrastructure that provides consistent access to sustained, high-quality professional learning and mentoring for school administrators.
   2. (2) Updated Alabama Standards for School Leadership and Principal Leadership framework to reflect recent research and best practices, which shall replace the Alabama Standards for Instructional Leaders.

   3. (3) Principal Leadership framework, which shall guide development of the program. This framework shall satisfy the requirements of the instructional leadership framework in the Alabama Numeracy Act and shall provide guidance for all of the following:

      1. a. A clear and shared vision for principal leadership, including the following domains for principal effectiveness: Visionary leadership, instructional leadership, innovative leadership, managerial leadership, and relational leadership.
      2. b. Recognizing and supporting excellent instruction through the use of high-quality instructional materials and evidence-based teaching practices.
      3. c. Supporting evidence-based best practices of high-quality professional learning.
      4. d. Data driven instructional leadership to continuously drive improvement in student achievement, including managing a multi-tiered system of supports to improve student achievement.
      5. e. Effective coaching and management of school-based academic coaches.
      6. f. Norms for participation and collaboration in coaching cycles to strengthen teacher practices.
   4. (4) Comprehensive instruction on school leadership and other relevant topics aligned to the new Alabama Standards for School Leadership and the Principal Leadership framework.
   5. (5) Additional resources for those schools that have difficulty in recruiting and retaining effective school administrators.
   6. (6) Competitive grants or technical assistance, or both, to encourage local school districts to develop principal pipeline programs.

(Act 2023-340, §3.)