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School principal skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Rolf Straubhaar,

Nathan Boles

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical school principal skills. We ranked the top skills for school principals based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.1% of school principal resumes contained professional development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a school principal needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 school principal skills for your resume and career

1. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how school principals use professional development:

Designed and facilitated professional development opportunities that challenged and developed staff members and resulted in students test scores increasing.
Managed volunteers, professional development, emergency procedures, and facilities/security procedures for an open campus.

2. Curriculum Development

Here's how school principals use curriculum development:

Supervised teacher staff * Provided training and orientation * Lead faculty in appropriate curriculum development
Assist in curriculum development to meet the needs of all students.

3. Student Achievement

Here's how school principals use student achievement:

Developed and implemented remedial before and after school program to increase student achievement and parental involvement.
Observe and evaluate teacher performance to positively affect instruction that will lead to increased student achievement.

4. Professional Growth

Professional growth refers to gaining more skills and work knowledge that helps you reach an objective in your career. This can be achieved by learning to earn/maintain professional credentials like academic degrees, formal projects, attending conferences, and utilising informal learning opportunities. This gives one candidate a better chance to distinguish themselves over others.

Here's how school principals use professional growth:

Evaluated teachers and conducted written reviews that encouraged professional growth.
Provide in-service and professional growth opportunities for teachers.

5. Student Learning

Here's how school principals use student learning:

Planned and coordinated weekly field trips and hands-on projects for student learning.
Directed teaching strategies which enhanced student learning skills and improved Test Scores.

6. School Administration

Here's how school principals use school administration:

Understand and implement all aspects of public school administration.
School Principal Manage School Administration, including coordinating curriculums, managing extracurricular programs.

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7. Educational Programs

An educational program is a program primarily concerned with the provision of education, including but not limited to early childhood education, primary and secondary education, post-secondary education, special education, vocational training, career and technical education, education for adults, and any program managed by an educational agency or institution.

Here's how school principals use educational programs:

Assumed responsibility and instructional leadership for the planning, operation, supervision, and evaluation of the educational program.
Collaborated with school district personnel to provide appropriate educational programming to enrolled students.

8. K-12

K12 is a term that incldues all 12 years of education in the US education system. It includes the education offered at the primary stage, middle stage, and secondary stage. It includes children of ages as young as 5 to 18 years. The grades included in K12 are Kindergarten, the initial 5 stages, grades 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. This system is followed specifically followed in the US and may vary in other countries.

Here's how school principals use k-12:

Administered day-to-day activities of a K-12 parochial day school of 70 - 75 students.
Directed two campuses: K-6 Campus and K-12 Campus.

9. Learning Environment

Here's how school principals use learning environment:

Designed and implemented a full- fledged project based teaching- learning environment.
Monitored success in learning environment.

10. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how school principals use continuous improvement:

Helped to lead an economically challenged urban school out of academic watch to continuous improvement status.
Develop, Implement and Evaluate Programs Continuous improvement of the educational experience.

11. School Management

Here's how school principals use school management:

Collaborate with the Instructional Leadership Team and school personnel regarding overall school management and programming.
Lead the school management team in developing and implementing emergency procedures.

12. Student Performance

Here's how school principals use student performance:

Monitored the evaluation of student performance and utilized related data to assess the effectiveness of the instructional program.
Reviewed and monitored student performance and behavior reports to parents.

13. Mathematics

Here's how school principals use mathematics:

Presented at the International Polar Year summer Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Presented at the National Science Foundation Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Education Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

14. Public Schools

Public schools are available for everyone. They are funded and controlled by the government. With state guidance, each school board determines the curricula, finances, and jobs for schools within its borders. The government also decides on academic standards and standardised tests.

Here's how school principals use public schools:

School principal in public schools of the Department of
Unified seven elementary public schools into the Newington Forest Elementary School Program.

15. Standardized Testing

Here's how school principals use standardized testing:

Assist with implementation and monitoring of district, regional, and state wide legislative initiatives including standardized testing and VAM implementation.
Align school performance goals and objectives data with instructional decision-making for enhanced benchmark and standardized testing scores.

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What skills help School Principals find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What school principal skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Rolf Straubhaar

Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Website

Due to the many political pressures on public education right now (including culture wars about book banning, what curricula are used in classrooms, and funding fights over school vouchers in most statehouses), many potential school leaders are choosing not to enter the profession right now. That is a shame, as their leadership is particularly needed at this time-it is a time when school leaders who are willing to advocate for and on behalf of their schools and communities can do an incredible amount of good.

What type of skills will young school principals need?

Nathan Boles

Assistant Professor of INS (Intervention Specialist) Program, Central State University

The current state of our country, due to COVID-19, will be a challenge for current and future graduates from the college of education. Rethinking and revising how instruction can be delivered to students, especially those with disabilities, has been one of the main topics for providing a safe learning environment. Graduates will need to have the tenacity to face various challenges that our local schools face during virtual learning and classroom changes.

Creativity, flexibility, and being a system thinker is imperative for young graduates entering the workforce. Having the ability to make critical adjustments to their mental models for creating a conducive and productive learning environment for their students is crucial. Recent and future graduates who have or will obtain their teaching license must understand and empathize with their teaching students, how our country's condition has had a tremendous effect on the families of the students they will be serving. Being a highly qualified teacher (HQT) in the specific content area is vital, but using technology and different learning management systems (LMS) will be of great importance to the schools they serve.

What technical skills for a school principal stand out to employers?

Marie Leahy

Associate Professor, Chestnut Hill College

The suddenness of the onset of the pandemic made all employers realize that it is absolutely critical for their workers to be able to mobilize quickly and adapt to an entirely new situation with relative ease. Recent graduates in the field of education will need to be able to use Microsoft Office and be able to use interactive whiteboards and maintain a classroom website. In addition, they will need to be able to utilize learning management systems, live streaming, and document cameras/visual presenters. Each school/district has its own learning management system, but if someone is experienced in using a learning management system, then getting accustomed to a different one is pretty seamless. The same is true for live streaming services and document cameras/visual presenters.

What soft skills should all school principals possess?

Colleen Wilkinson

Associate Professor, Program Director, Medaille College

Teaching is not a silo profession. We are in constant communication and collaboration with many stakeholders. Teacher Candidates need to be flexible in order to work well with all the different players in the game to make sure the student wins!

Do you want to know more?

List of school principal skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a school principal resume and required skills for a school principal to have include:

Professional Development
Curriculum Development
Student Achievement
Professional Growth
Student Learning
School Administration
Educational Programs
K-12
Learning Environment
Continuous Improvement
School Management
Student Performance
Mathematics
Public Schools
Standardized Testing
Staff Development

Academic Achievement
Instructional Program
Blended Learning
IEP
Data Analysis
Student Discipline
Program Evaluation
K-8
Kindergarten
Instructional Strategies
Master Schedule
Classroom Management
Board Policies
Pre-K
Student Data
Strategic Plan

School Programming
Social Justice
Oversight
Building Maintenance
PBIS
Professional Learning Communities
Academic Programs
Academic Performance
Emergency Procedures
Staff Training
Student Attendance
Social Studies
Student Body
Student Enrollment
Fiscal Management

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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