Statement of the Problem

Statement of the Problem Dr. Jami Goetz, Director of the Office of Professional Services and Educator Licensing for CDE, stated that she is not impressed with the induction programs for principals in our state. She has been in direct contact with both the Colorado Educations Association (CEA) and the Colorado Association of Superintendents of Education (CASE) about proposing a ‘clean-up’ bill for induction programs and then to review the Educator Licensing rules and bring them into line with the state statute. She added that she feels that the reason for IP’s not being impressive is due to the lack of clarity in the state statute and state rule. She does agree that with the revision to the template/forms for applying for an approval of an induction program are very clear regarding the expectations (Dr. Jami Goetz, personal communication, August 1, 2008). I feel that the expectations are lacking on both ends of the spectrum and the non-negotiable accountability piece needs to be in place and conducted with reliability, faithfulness and consistency across the state of Colorado.
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this study is to examine six state approved induction programs for principal/administrators in Colorado and to determine if the school district’s policies are comprehensive in complying with the Colorado Department of Education’s, (CDE), program induction guidelines. The CDE ‘s guidelines and protocol for the principal and/or administrator induction program are very detailed and laid out for school districts to follow if they have been selected as a site induction program(IP) in their respective districts. The State Board of Education and Colorado Department of Education are in place to provide guidance and direction for local school districts on statewide induction programs. If implemented with fidelity as set by the CDE and SBE, principals should have a good understanding and stable foundation from which they can perform their duties at a