two people sitting at a table with a crowd behind them.

Sharon Bixler, left, dean of the Asbury University School of Education, presents information about the university’s program with education professor Tim Crook during the Education Professional Standards Board meeting on Oct. 20. Photo by Fiona Morgan, Kentucky Department of Education, Oct. 20, 2026

(FRANKFORT, KY) – Members of the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB), during the board’s meeting on Oct. 20, examined research into principal leadership and what actions can be taken to improve development opportunities in Kentucky.

Representatives with a subgroup of the University Principal Preparation Initiative presented research into what principals in Kentucky need to succeed.

The group of education stakeholders from Kentucky includes Lu S. Young, a professor of education leadership at the University of Kentucky, and representatives from several Kentucky higher education institutions that offer principal preparation programs. It was started as part of a Wallace Foundation initiative to help improve university-based principal preparation programs.

The group produced a study which assessed the survey responses of principals and superintendents across Kentucky, including findings from the 2023-2024 Impact KY Working Conditions Survey.

Young, who also serves as chair of the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE). said the findings underscore what education leaders have been hearing, especially as it relates to new principal leadership training requirements under Senate Bill 4 (2026).

Stephanie Sullivan, a professor and department chair at Murray State University, presented findings from the study. She said the key takeaways include the necessity of high-quality mentorship, practice-based clinical experiences and reduced administrative burden.

Superintendents identified communication skills, systems thinking and distributed leadership as areas requiring strengthened preparation. Both groups emphasized that compliance requirements, isolation and deficits in delegation skills impede instructional leadership and contribute to burnout.

Sullivan also went through a series of recommendations, including ways for principal preparation programs to improve and ways for state and local education agencies to support continued mentorship and training programs along with efforts to improve leadership well-being.

“The goal is not only readiness at entry, but sustainability across the career, ensuring that principals can lead effectively without losing their professional identity or personal health,” Sullivan said.

The recommendations also include more coordination across agencies and stakeholder groups, including enhanced efforts to improve the pipeline of talented leaders and improve communication between groups.

Educator Preparation Program Spotlight: Asbury University

Leaders with Asbury University presented information about their educator preparation program, continuing the EPSB’s spotlight on programs that prepare the next generation of teachers for the classroom.

Asbury University is a Christian college in Wilmore, which is about 15 miles south of Lexington with an enrollment around 2,000 students. Sharon Bixler, dean of the Asbury University School of Education, said about 300 students are in the education program, and she detailed 34 different programs the university offers.

“Teaching is not just a career; it’s a calling,” Bixler said. “We feel very passionate that it’s a calling, and we want to prepare as many Christian educators as we can to go out and impact our Kentucky schools and eventually the whole world.”

Tim Crook, an education professor, further detailed the university’s program, which includes clinical experiences outside of the university classroom, including a partnership with Knox County where students in the program work with 3rd-grade students in the district on math activities. He also highlighted the university’s work in helping prospective educators get into the field, hosting the university’s 6th Educators Rising regional event this fall, as well as leadership training efforts, including a new doctorate program in P-12 educational leadership in the fall of 2027.

Bixler further detailed how the university is incorporating lessons about artificial intelligence (AI) to prepare faculty and students in the education program for the evolving technology and how the university has developed three new scholarships in recent years to provide more opportunities for future teachers.

During their meeting, EPSB members also discussed the board’s policy manual, legislative priorities and approved a resolution adopting the recommendations of the KBE/EPSB Research Collaborative.