The new year is here and administrators and officials continue to predict trends in education.

“The overall trend is that more and more administrators must become professional problem solvers,” said David Miceli, superintendent of New Providence School District in New Jersey in an article on DistrictAdministration.com. “We are going to be asked to do more, often with less, and that requires deft leadership.”

According to the article, Miceli "predicts that in 2015, district leaders around the nation must do the same, lending their leadership to fundraising efforts as budgets fluctuate and districts roll out new assessment tests."

“Districts will be relying more on public fundraising, and we aren’t talking about extra money for field trips,” said Miceli.

At New Providence, the article said, "the money raised will buy tablets required for students to take the newly implemented PARCC assessment tests."

Miceli's first prediction is "principal autonomy."

Ellen Goldring, the Patricia and Rodes Hart professor and chair of education policy at Vanderbilt University. predicts that "principals will seek out more autonomy to deploy resources, hire staff and make curriculum decisions."

"In the past, the relationship between superintendents and principals has been formula-driven, meaning it’s not really open to negotiation or change,” said Goldring. “Looking toward 2015, I expect this one-size-fits all model to be rethought.”

Another trend will be the growth of social media.

“We’ve already seen many leaders take to Twitter and Facebook, and we’re likely to see that grow,” said Becca Bracy Knight, executive director of the Broad Center, a nonprofit that specializes in school system management in the article. “Students are even tweeting directly with their superintendents. It’s a great avenue for leaders to be in touch."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor