Kelvin Griffin worked as a principal of an Atlanta middle school for over two years before he became the Director of Instruction for Chicago Public Schools. Griffin was in charge of all school administrative duties and charged with changing the culture of the school he worked at, making community involvement and communication a top priority. Here’s how you can become a principal like Griffin and enact your own vision of what education should be like at a particular school:
- Earn a Bachelor’s degree. While you don’t necessarily have to major in Education at the undergraduate level to become a principal, studying Education like Kelvin Griffin can give you the tools to jump into teaching as soon as you’re eligible and start building experience you’ll need as an administrator.
- Obtain a teacher’s certificate. Gain some experience teaching in public schools by getting your teacher’s certificate. Most state licensing boards require all applicants to have a Bachelor’s degree and to complete some kind of supervised teaching internship.
- Gain work experience. Once you have your teacher’s certificate, get in the classroom.
- Complete a graduate degree. Most states require all applicants to the state principal certification system hold a graduate degree and earn several years of classroom experience.
- Obtain a specialist license. Almost all states require all principals to be licensed with the state. Kelvin Griffin earned his license with the state of Georgia before he became principal by passing an exam and meeting all requirements.
