School principals’ preparation in Spain and in the USA: alignments between higher education and supranational recommendations
This article tackles one of the relevant issues related to the professionalization of school principals’ role: their pre-service training or, in other words, the mandatory training they receive before they can take the roles as public-school principals. The research conducted about the cases of Spain, and specifically the Region of Madrid, and the USA, and specifically the State of Washington, let us draft some conclusions on their policies and practices on this matter within these countries and regions. Also, the study of the recommendations by the international organizations selected leads us to further understand and explain the alignments between those recommendations and the real policies and practices on principals’ pre-service preparation programs in Spain and the USA. This article aims to serve education stakeholders to further develop their work towards the improvement of the professionalization of the school principals’ role.