|
“There are so many ways a
principal affects student
achievement; a well-trained leader sets the standard for constant learning and can raise the bar
for the entire community.”
Becky Crowe-Hill
Executive Director
Partners in School Innovation
|
The Leadership Initiative
The Leadership Initiative strengthens how San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) supports its leaders through systemic reforms in preparation, placement and ongoing performance assessment. In addition to enhancing recruitment efforts, the Leadership Initiative specifically targets a reduction in the turnover of principals in low-performing schools—which is currently twice that of the turnover in high performing schools—and institutionalizes a vision for the kind of school leaders our students need in order to excel.
The Need for the Leadership Initiative
Research clearly shows that principals are the foundation for all-high performing schools. Two of the major studies from California’s public school governance “Adequacy Study,” released in March 2007, focused on the primacy of effective leadership development in raising student achievement. One study, led by Linda Darling Hammond of Stanford University, assessed the role of leadership development programs for principals in California’s public schools and found that "principals are now regarded as central to the task of building schools that promote powerful teaching and learning for all students” and that "California's ambitious aspirations for raising student achievement and reducing the achievement gap require major systemic changes as well as investments in the knowledge and skills of teachers and leaders" (Hammond, 2007). In San Francisco however, there is an increasing shortage of knowledgeable, experienced leaders for our public schools, especially for the schools that need them the most.
The Goals of the Leadership Initiative
Within the next five years, the Leadership Initiative is striving to:
1. Systemically align all student achievement benchmarks and performance assessment tools around a district-wide set of competencies which drive district policy and management decisions.
2. Provide adequate district support and professional development to all “Leadership Teams” to create effective, culturally-competent leadership at every school.
3. Ensure that excellent schools exist in every neighborhood, as measured by qualitative and quantitative rubrics developed through the Leadership Initiative.
4. Significantly close, if not diminish, the achievement gap between African-American and Latino students and other demographics.
The Strands of Work
The Leadership Initiative is comprised of four interwoven strands of work:
1. Alignment: - Every step a leader takes in San Francisco is built upon a clear leadership vision—that vision is laid out in a set of core leadership competencies that maintain a relentless focus on student achievement.
2. Long-Term Support - From the day a teacher exhibits high potential for leadership, he or she has access to a series of developmental opportunities through the Leadership Initiative. The highest potential teacher-leaders are recruited into UC Berkeley’s acclaimed principal preparation program with full scholarships; intensive coaching and mentoring is given to all new principals; and all school leadership teams receive ongoing support, beginning with an annual summer leadership institute that sets the foundation for a coherent set of training sessions that follow throughout the school year.
3. Personalization - All leaders have access to personalized coaching and training opportunities, based on their specific core competencies and needs of their school sites.
4.Team Approach - Leadership supports and opportunities through the Leadership Initiative are offered to school leadership teams, including principals, assistant principals, teacher leaders, and school site council leaders.
|
Learn About Our Partners
Partners in School Innovation
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education Principal Leadership
San Francisco Unified School District
|
