Assistant Principal Leadership Academy
Principals play a critical role in school improvement and student success. They ensure that a school’s culture, instructional programming, staffing, and other systems effectively support one another and that every student is achieving at high levels. Principals transform classrooms of excellence into schoolwide systems of strong practices. Not surprisingly, then, research has shown that districts possessing comprehensive strategies for the improvement of principal leadership can have widespread positive effects on not only principals but schools and families, as well. The impact is even greater in school districts that partner with universities, and other institutions, to implement strategies organized around a common and comprehensive vision for effective school leaders.
In the continuum of leadership development, one position in particular has received very little attention: the assistant principalship. While it is in this role that most school principals begin accumulating their school-based leadership experiences, the position is generally characterized as consisting of ill-defined, disjointed, fragmented roles. Several other challenges confront assistant principals. First, assistant principals rarely have access to induction and adequate support. Second, most preparation programs lack an integrated view of leadership development. Because recent graduates have access to very little sustained support for leadership development, the pathway to the principalship becomes more about landing an administrative position than a focus on talent and leadership development.
To prepare practicing assistant principals (who have completed principal preparation programs) for the specific demands of the principalship.
Through a partnership that leverages the expertise of partners skilled in school leader preparation and effective management, APLA provides participants with:
- comprehensive experiences leading to a more integrated and inclusive view of school leaders.
- exposure to highly relevant, heavily experiential situations with reflective applications of learning.
- insight to the central challenges that principals face on a regular basis.
The APLA is designed as a community of practice for aspiring principals who meet readiness standards. Participants will convene eight times in day-long facilitated sessions over the course of the academic year and will practice skills learned in the sessions in their home schools.
The central learning experiences of the APLA is designed to scaffold and support participant learning in their current roles and widen their perspective toward the goal of principal readiness.
Each session includes crucial content and rotating dynamic speakers.
Session 1: Exploring Community Assets
In this opening session of the APLA, guest speaker, Judge McGown, a local Fort Worth
judge and historian, guided participants on a tour of our communities and schools.
Participants considered how using an assets-based approach to understanding and leveraging
community strengths will assist them in achieving their school’s mission and vision.
Session 2: Creating a Sense of Belonging
During this session, Dr. Miriam Ezzani, Associate Professor for the College of Education
at TCU, inspired participants in designing equitable systems and structures needed
to create environments focused on belonging and the well-being of staff and students.
Session 3: Communicating with Purpose
Aspiring principals explored how leaders show up as their authentic selves while taking
on new leadership challenges with Jim Roach, Executive Director for the Neeley School
of Business at TCU.
Session 4: Building, Coaching, and Leading Effective Teams
During this session, Dr. Tracey Rockett, Professor of Management Practice for the
Neeley School of Business at TCU, expanded participant knowledge in establishing effective
teams and distributive leadership to support effective operations and accelerate instructional
improvement through coaching strategies for empowering and engaging their campus teams.
Session 5: Ensuring High Quality Instruction
Session 6: Building Systems of Continuous Improvement
Session 7: Aligning Goals and Resources
Session 8: Entry Planning and Professional Leadership Project Presentations
FWISD Principal Panel