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A recent study by Gregory F. Branch, Eric A. Hanushek, and Steven G. Rivkin concludes that effective principals have a significant positive influence on student learning. The top 16% of principals increase student learning in their school by the equivalent of two extra months of instruction per year, compared to an average principal.

In an Education Next blog post summarizing the study, Hanushek argues that this evidence highlights the need to select and retain the best principals, in addition to the best teachers. He points out that doing so may be particularly important because an individual principal affects a larger number of students than does an individual teacher.