With the summer here, even with the workload still high, I believe it is time to try to get back to this blog and write a bit more. This is inspired to some degree with Work With Hope, who I had lunch with last week. He is trying to post more as well so we can try to push each other to move the dialogue forward.
I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming school year. We have a number of new staff joining us in the office and with that comes great energy and excitement. The primary focus for us over the next few years will be on leadership formation of principals and those who desire to be principals in the coming years. Leadership is an interesting issue (and I am trying to finish writing a book on leadership that I am behind on so I am also hoping the blogging will also help spur me on) in that it is an area everyone agrees is essential but very few people have concrete plans to address it.
In my mind, every other issue pales in comparison to effective leadership. When good leaders are present in schools - or any organization - then all other issues become secondary. I like to say that good leadership eliminates all minor problems and mitigates major ones. Essentially, if a good leader is in place then all other issues of finance, enrollment, technology integration, instructional leadership, etc. are taken care of by virtue of their presence.
We have spent the last year looking at leadership and we have the outlines of a Leadership Formation Program that we are implementing this year. Part of that program is how we work with those who are new to the principal position, which consists of summer training and then follow up sessions throughout the year both in a group setting and with a mentor. But there are other two aspects are equally important.
The first is how we address 'building a bench' of future leaders to fill principal positions in the coming years. We had 40 principal openings this year, which was a bit higher than usual but we normally need 25-30 new principals each year. How we invite and form these new leaders will determine the success of our schools in the coming years. We had information meetings this past spring and we will have four sessions over the course of this coming year in the areas of Leadership, Faith, Excellence and Stewardship to introduce the participants to the practical aspects of the principal position. Many either have already gone through an admin MA program or are planning to so the intent is not to focus on theory but the practical nature of the job.
The second aspect of the LFP is to nurture current principals in our schools. The principal job can be a lonely one and it is no secret that it is easy to burn out if there is not constructive support present. So part of the program is to invite principals to attend a summer session every five years of their tenure (so in the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, etc. summer) in order to refresh their knowledge and renew their spirit. We have also tried to incorporate more leadership PD in monthly deanery meetings so that principals get needed support and guidance without having to attend an additional meeting.
Much to do in this area and I would welcome feedback. Chris Mominey (from Philadelphia) and Dave Faber (from Grand Rapids) and are going to be leading a session on this topic at CACE in October so I would be interested in learning what else is happening around the country.
At my first principals' meeting as Superintendent, I looked around the room and said hmmmm. I saw lots of experience and dedication, but I also saw LOTS of gray hair. From that moment, the identification and cultivation of future principals has been a priority of my office.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in almost every case a dynamic, charismatic leader can make any school work.
One of the challenges that we discussed is money. Though one hates to reduce such lofty mission to this practicality, if we are going to capture and retain first rate principals, we need to pay them enough that they aren't forced to look elsewhere.
The one point I would make is that we have great principals who are 'veterans', meaning age doesn't necessarily correlate to being dynamic and having charisma.
ReplyDeleteYour point about money is a good one - one aspect of our program is to partner with philanthropy to incentivize the job of inner-city principal so we attract top quality leaders to those locations.
Dr.Baxter, thank you for highlighting the fact that "veteran" principals can be equally dynamic and charismatic! Not only can they be the reason for whatever enrollment remains at a school, but they are also seasoned with years of "practical experience" which aligns with your stated desire "not to focus on theory but the practical nature of the job." I'm curious, can you give specific examples of financial resources and training that is currently made available to those seasoned inner-city principals? How does the Archdiocese assist with bringing resources to a school when it already has a "top quality leader" in place?
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