Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders | Newport News Public Schools
Program Description
Like many school divisions across Virginia, Newport News Public Schools faces the reality of having to replace 77 of 113 key school leadership positions over the next five years due to current leaders being eligible for retirement. Three years ago, NNPS began preparing for this reality by implementing a leadership initiative for assistant principals and last year for teachers interested in assuming more leadership responsibilities. Based on feedback from this initiative, NNPS recognizes that this leadership development program needs to become more formalized and more structured.
To achieve the Newport News Public Schools' mission and goals, it is essential to expand the existing leadership capacity within the school division. As a result, the school division will develop a comprehensive leadership development model. The intent of this comprehensive model is to develop highly qualified individuals to serve in the school division's positions of leadership and to enhance the leadership capabilities of existing school leaders.
The initial component of the model and the focus of this leadership development preparation grant proposal is a year-long Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders. It is the intention of Newport News Public Schools to utilize the grant to offer this Leadership Academy experience to a 2004-05 cohort and a 2005-06 cohort.
Each year-long academy will focus on highly qualified teachers with at least three years of successful performance with Newport News Public Schools who have a master's degree or are enrolled in a master's degree program, have demonstrated knowledge of curriculum and instruction, a passion for helping students meet high academic standards, demonstrated leadership potential, and demonstrated an interest in undertaking additional leadership responsibilities within Newport News Public Schools.
These individuals will be nominated or "tapped" by a current NNPS school leader to apply for admission to this challenging leadership academy. The school leader who "taps" an individual for participation in the Academy or their administrator-designee will serve as a mentor to the participant throughout the program.
Once an individual has been nominated, he/she must submit the following information to the NNPS Central Office Leadership Academy Screening Committee: An application form; a letter expressing his/her interest in participating in the Academy; a resume; and a letter(s) of recommendation from an active NNPS school leader.
The screening committee will be comprised of four NNPS central office administrators from the Superintendent's Senior Staff. Each screening committee member will independently review each Leadership Academy application packet and recommend up to twenty-five individuals for acceptance into the program. Those individuals selected by at least three of the four screening committee members will be selected for participation in the 2004-05 Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders cohort. The same selection process will be utilized for the 2005-06 cohort.
The Academy will be comprised of engaging seminars, individual coaching, shadowing experiences, action project work on authentic school and division initiatives, attendance at the NNPS/ODU/HOPE Foundation Advanced Leadership Summit (December 2-4, 2004 and 2005), and a six-week paid summer leadership internship. The first Academy program will take place from October 2004 - August 2005 and the second Academy will take place from October 2005 -August 2006.
The successful completion of the Academy will place participants on a register of highly qualified individuals prepared for future school leadership positions within Newport News Public Schools.
The content for the training seminars will be based on the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards, the Newport News Public Schools' Administrator Performance Assessment document, which is aligned with the state's Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents, the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel, and components of several of the recommendations (# 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12) from the final report of the Commission to Review, Study, and Reform Educational Leadership.
An Academy participant's performance will be assessed using the rubrics of the NNPS Administrator Performance Assessment and performance on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA). In addition, each participant will be expected to maintain a portfolio to document his/her Academy activities and experiences.
The Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders will be one component of the Newport News Public Schools' Comprehensive Leadership Development Model. In conjunction with the other NNPS leadership development initiatives, this Academy will be the initial component of a research-based transparent career development system that holds all leaders accountable for self-directed continuous improvement and the professional growth of other school leaders.
The NNPS Leadership Development Preparation Program, Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders, will be a collaborative effort between Newport News Public Schools, Old Dominion University, the Urban Learning & Leadership Center, and the HOPE Foundation.
Newport News Public Schools will identify the program's participants and provide the training facility, a program coordinator, authentic leadership opportunities for participants, a six-week paid summer leadership internship for participants, co-sponsor and assist in coordinating the HOPE Foundation Advanced Leadership Summit, monitor the overall implementation of the Academy, and evaluate the participant's portfolio.
Old Dominion University will provide an independent evaluation of the program components and co-sponsor and assist in coordinating the HOPE Foundation Advanced Leadership Summit.
The Urban Learning & Leadership Center will develop and present the curriculum for the training seminars. The curriculum will address the ISLLC standards, the NNPS Administrator Performance Assessment rubrics, and prepare participants for the School Leaders Licensure Assessment. They will also be responsible for evaluating participant performance on activities related to the seminar curriculum.
The HOPE Foundation will co-sponsor the Second East Coast Advanced Leadership Summit on December 2-4, 2004, in collaboration with Newport News Public Schools and Old Dominion University. Michael Fullan and Jay McTighe are the keynote speakers for the summit to be held in Newport News.
The summit will focus on developing new leadership techniques; learn how to use self-evaluation and school assessment tools; and learn to use the six principles that guide high achieving schools - Common Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals; Assuring Achievement for ALL Students; Collaborative Teaming Focused on Teaching and Learning; Using Data to Guide Decision-making and Continuous Improvement; Gaining Active Engagement from Family and Community; and Building Sustainable Leadership Capacity. These topics coincide with the ISLLC standards training that serve as the basis for the Leadership Academy curriculum.
The Newport News Public Schools' leadership development program incorporates several of the research-based strategy recommendations identified in the SREB publication, Good Principals Are the Key to Successful Schools: Six Strategies to Prepare More Good Principals.
The NNPS leadership development program relies on the singling out of high performers for participation in the program. School leaders in the NNPS will "tap" individuals that have demonstrated knowledge of curriculum and instruction, a passion for helping students meet high academic standards, and leadership potential.
By focusing the program curriculum to real-world leadership standards based on the ISLLC standards, the NNPS leadership development preparation program will serve to enhance and recalibrate the traditional leadership programs that have been relied upon to train school leaders in the past.
While participants in the program will be required to possess a master's degree or be enrolled in a master's degree program, the degree/program will not be limited to a degree in educational administration and supervision. The NNPS program curriculum will focus on the ISLLC standards and program participants will be required to take the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA). This will allow an alternate certification process that bypasses traditional leadership preparation programs by targeting teachers with master's degrees that have proven themselves "on-the-job."
Virginia Standard(s) Addressed
The program addresses all of the ISLLC standards.Program Goals and Objectives
By the end of this program participants will demonstrate the ability to successfully pass the SLLA and demonstrate the practical application of the skills of school leadership in accordance with the ISLLC Standards.Program Format
The Academy will be comprised of engaging seminars, individual coaching, shadowing experiences, attendance at the NNPS/ODU/HOPE Foundation Advanced Leadership Summit (December 2-4, 2004 and 2005), and a six-week paid summer leadership internship. The first Academy program will take place from October 2004 - August 2005 and the second Academy will take place from October 2005 - August 2006.Target Audience
Each year-long academy will focus on highly qualified teachers with at least three years of successful performance with Newport News Public Schools who have a master's degree or are enrolled in a master's degree program, have demonstrated knowledge of curriculum and instruction, a passion for helping students meet high academic standards, demonstrated leadership potential, and demonstrated interest in undertaking additional leadership responsibilities within Newport News Public Schools.
These individuals will be nominated or "tapped" by a current NNPS school leader to apply for admission to this challenging leadership academy. The school leader who "taps" an individual for participation in the Academy (or that person's administrator-designee) will serve as a mentor to the participant throughout the program.
Once an individual has been nominated, he/she must submit the following information to the NNPS Central Office Leadership Academy Screening Committee: An application form; a letter expressing their interest in participating in the Academy; a resume; and a letter(s) of recommendation from an active NNPS school leader.
The screening committee will be comprised of four NNPS central office administrators from the Superintendent's Senior Staff. Each screening committee member will independently review each Leadership Academy application packet and recommend up to twenty-five individuals for acceptance into the program. Those individuals selected by at least three of the four screening committee members will be selected for participation in the 2004-05 Leadership Academy for Aspiring School Leaders cohort. The same selection process will be utilized for the 2005-06 cohort.
Self-Selection and/or Identification Through School Division
No/yes.Duration of Program
The training consists of eight, full-day (6 hour) seminars; a 2 ½ day HOPE Leadership Conference; a full-day visit to the Virginia General Assembly; a full day for taking the SLLA; and a six-week paid summer internship.Outcomes Measured
The primary evaluation question is: To what extent was the project effective in implementing a comprehensive leadership development program by providing highly qualified administrators who can effectively serve in the division's school-based positions of leadership?
The secondary evaluation questions are: How effective were the specific programs within the project in meeting the overall goal? How well did the project incorporate key features of ISLLC and the Virginia Licensure Regulations, and Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents?
Program Evaluation
The evaluation goals are to assess the performance of programs within the Newport News VDOE Leadership Development Preparation Program grant. Specifically these evaluation activities performed by Old Dominion University will assess the implementation of a comprehensive leadership development preparation program that will develop highly qualified administrators who serve in the division's positions of leadership while also developing a pool of highly qualified applicants for all school-based administrative positions.
A mix-methods approach will be taken which provides the most comprehensive assessment of the program. This approach can yield richer, more valid, and more reliable findings than evaluations based on qualitative or quantitative methods alone.
Evaluation data will be collected in a variety of formats which best suit the particular needs and limitations of each of the evaluation questions. These will include, but not be limited to:
Surveys
- Program participants
- Non-program participants
- Mentors
- School principals
- Teachers
- Screening committee
Quasi-experimental comparison to non-program participants
Focus group interviews
- Program participants
- Mentors
- School Principals
Demographic data
- Program participants demographics
- Division administrators demographic data
Instrumentation
Training evaluation
- Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards
- Newport News Public Schools' Administrator Performance Assessment document, which is aligned with the state's Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Administrators, and Superintendents, and the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel.
Leadership academy evaluation
- NNPS Administrator Performance Assessment rubrics
Summer leadership internship
- Surveys
- Site visits
- Interviews
Learning & Leadership Center curriculum
- Curriculum audit assessing match to ISLLC standards and the NNPS Administrator Performance Assessment rubrics
The HOPE Foundation Advanced Leadership Summit
- Surveys
- Focus group interview
Contact Information
Phillip Hamilton
Newport News Public Schools
12465 Warwick Boulevard
Newport News, Virginia
Telephone: (757) 591-7436
Fax: (757) 595-7522
Email: phillip.hamilton@nn.k12.va.us