Growing the Next Generation of School Leaders in Ohio

Across Ohio, school districts are facing a growing challenge: the leadership pipeline is shrinking. Fewer educators are stepping forward to pursue principalships or superintendencies, and districts that once had deep candidate pools are now struggling to fill key leadership positions.

For Ohio’s education leaders, this moment presents both a challenge—and an opportunity to rethink how we develop the next generation of leaders.

In a recent episode of At the Table, Dr. Michael Tefs, Director of the Superintendent Licensure Program at Ashland University, discussed what it will take to strengthen leadership development across Ohio’s schools. The conversation explored the realities districts are facing—from fewer candidates entering leadership roles to the growing need for intentional succession planning. As Dr. Tefs explained, “The market is no longer supplying enough candidates, so school district leadership “must intentionally cultivate the next generation of leaders from within their own systems.”

The Leadership Pipeline Is Changing

For years, districts could post a leadership position and expect a strong pool of applicants. Today, that reality has changed. Increasingly, districts are discovering that fewer educators are pursuing leadership roles, particularly at the principal and superintendent levels.

That shift is forcing districts to rethink how they develop future leaders. Rather than relying on external applicants, more districts are turning their attention inward—identifying teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and department chairs who have the potential to step into leadership roles.

Growing Leaders From Within

One of the most effective strategies districts are rediscovering is the idea of “growing your own.” Leadership pipelines are strongest when districts intentionally invest in their educators—providing opportunities for leadership development, advanced credentials, and meaningful professional learning. Some districts have successfully supported teachers pursuing graduate degrees or principal licensure programs. While these investments can raise questions about cost, they can also create a sustainable leadership pipeline.

Dr. Tefs has seen this firsthand in his work with districts across the state. Districts that invest in leadership development often find it easier to fill leadership positions because they have built internal pathways for teachers to grow into leadership roles.

Leadership Is More Than Management

Another important shift in leadership preparation is moving beyond the traditional focus on management tasks. Effective school leadership requires the ability to shape systems, cultivate culture, and support the adults who support students. Dr. Tefs often describes this distinction as the difference between “working in the system” and “working on the system.”

Both are necessary, but strong leaders intentionally create time to work on the system—analyzing data, facilitating collaboration, and improving the structures that drive teaching and learning. That work can be difficult in the day-to-day realities of school leadership. As Dr. Tefs reflected, there are times when leaders look back over busy weeks and realize they spent most of their time “working in it every day and didn’t work on it at all.”

Intentional leadership means creating space for both.

The Power of Collaborative Leadership

Distributed leadership continues to be one of the most powerful strategies for strengthening schools across Ohio. Through structures such as teacher-based teams, building leadership teams, and district leadership teams, educators collaborate around data, instructional practices, and school improvement strategies. These structures do more than improve decision-making—they also develop leadership capacity within the system.

Teachers who engage in collaborative leadership gain experience facilitating conversations, analyzing data, and leading improvement efforts. Over time, these experiences help build the leadership pipeline that schools need.

School Improvement Takes Time

One of the most important lessons for emerging leaders is that meaningful change rarely happens quickly. Improving a school system requires sustained attention to culture, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Leadership Development Is Ongoing

Leadership preparation does not end when a license is earned, or a position is secured. Many new principals and superintendents quickly realize that the learning curve continues long after their formal preparation programs end. Continued professional learning, mentoring, and collaboration remain essential.

As Dr. Tefs reflected, even experienced leaders continue to learn throughout their careers: “You don’t become an expert at the end of your licensure process.”

Strong leadership development systems recognize that growth is ongoing.

A Shared Responsibility

Building strong leadership pipelines is not the responsibility of a single organization or institution. It requires collaboration among school districts, universities, and professional learning networks across Ohio.

When districts intentionally invest in leadership development—and when educators are given opportunities to grow into leadership roles—the result is stronger systems that support both educators and students.

Listen and watch the full interview in Episode 25: Building the Leadership Pipeline: Strategies for Succession Planning in Schools, on At the Table.