Principals Excellence Program | University of Kentucky and Pike County Public Schools
Obstacles
The major obstacle faced by the district is placement of principal candidates. Kentucky statute gives authority for the selection of principals to teachers and parents who are elected members of school-governance boards, know as School-Based Decision Making Councils, rather than to superintendents. The superintendent asked the project director to write a letter explaining what principal candidates gained by participating in PEP, which is kept in their personnel files and sent to Councils who are in the process of principal selection.
The distance separating the two institutional partners and time requirements for program participants were stumbling blocks during program implementation. The 150-mile one-way journey between Lexington and Pikeville requires approximately three hours, often more during inclement weather. Professors had to travel to Pike County the day before the biweekly seminar-workshops and then drive home at the end of a full day of training. Likewise, being away from their work sites one day every week for a calendar year created added work and personal hardships for cohort members. Nonetheless, based on data collected after close of program implementation, everyone involved—cohort participants, mentor principals, cohort instructors—reported that the time and effort reaped significant professional growth and new insights about leadership for learning.
The Kentucky Department of Education is developing a statewide initiative to restructure secondary schools. Data collected from PEP summative evaluation data suggest the need for targeted development of secondary-school leadership teams, particularly in high schools. Team leadership will be required to assure successful restructuring. The UK-Pike County partnership applied for additional funding from the US Department of Education to address this identified need but was unsuccessfu; other funding sources are currently being sought.
More Information
Issues and Challenges | Costs | Program Evaluation
View all links for the Principals Excellence Program
Disclaimer
e-Lead provides information on professional-development programs for school leaders that have submitted detailed information and that also meet certain standards-based criteria. Programs listed at the e-Lead website are not endorsed by either the Institute for Educational Leadership or Temple University's Laboratory for Student Success.