Should principals have MBAs?

To me, the important thing is the undergraduate major. Anything But Education is good. Let's have a genuine academic major, like history, biology, philosophy. Then on top of that, you give this person an MBA, that is, something very practical from the real world (not from a school of education), then this idea is looking good.
The real problem is the shallowness, isolation, and ideology of ed schools.

I would have to agree. I don't believe that an MBA prepares all candidates to be leaders, just as a all education programs don't prepare teachers. They are trained in the practices, but in the end, it all depends on if the individual has leadership qualities for that particular school environment.

I don't think an MBA would hurt, espcially one that focus on school related issues and policies. But, these traits can also be worked into an educational leadership degree as well.

If the concern is that principals are not adequately prepared to deal with finances, budgeting, public relations, etc., I believe that any prospective school administrator would benefit much more from engaging in meaningful dialogue with small businessmen and entrepreneurs from their local community than they ever would from sitting in a lecture hall taking notes on relatively abstract business models that are probably only tangentially applicable to most school settings. A quality educational leadership program could easily create the possibility/requirement of just this kind of learning experience, just as it could try to partner with a business school or department to create an even more meaningful and practical program for potential school administrators. Greater school productivity (i.e., "success" and "results") will come from people thinking creatively and synergistically (we'll have to break down those walls between business schools and schools of education, for example) to create new pathways for students, teachers, and administrators to follow. Adding more requirements alone (e.g., an MBA requirement for principals) will do little, if anything, to enhance creativity or innovation.

Educational manager must be prepared to run a school, a business. This must be offered to them in their Educational Management education.

William

Teachers also need to be able to prepare and read budgets in order to gain a perspective of overall expenditures in their school. Administrators need a good grasp of human development and family health/psychology. Building a close-knit team between Administrator, Business Manager, and School Board can result in a powerful educational setting.

I think it would be awesome to require a MBA for principal candidates, however, MBAs assume students already have a background in business (a degree), while many programs require the applicants to have a few years experience in the business world. In order to require a MBA for principals, there would have to be a MBA program designed specifically for the needs of a school administrator. Without the modified MBA program, I don't think many teachers would qualify OR excel in a MBA program. Just my thoughts.

To complete an MBA, one studies and practices leadership, collaboration, and problem solving. An MBA candidate reads, discusses and reflects upon both successful and failing business models. Today's public school administrators must be innovative and strategic as funding sources become more limited, human resources become more fragmented and cleintele becomes more diversified; what better preparation than a degree in business? Certainly we need administrators with vigorous academic preparation for their job as stewards of both tax dollars and students. However, the limiting factor is administrative pay. I can't think of too many MBAs who would choose to pursue public school administration over a more lucrative career in business.

Traditional educational administration programs are woefully inadequate to prepare one to be a school principal. They lack real content, and they lack rigor. Requiring an MBA would be a vast improvement.

Not necessarily. What really counts are the years of experience you devote to a school administration,your common sense and sensitivity in dealing with human beings and not only numbers.