Governor's School Leadership Academy - Principal Support Program

APPLICATION WINDOW:

The submission period is currently open! Ensure your application is finalized and submitted by the deadline on May 31st.

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Program Description

Through partnerships between Gwinnett County Public Schools, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Governor’s School Leadership Academy (GSLA) Principal Support Program is designed to support sitting principals in managing the change process to achieve transformational school-level improvement. Principal participants join in a rich cohort-based experience that supports their development during the 2022-2023 academic year and beyond.

The GSLA Principal Support Program provides job-embedded opportunities for participants to apply lessons learned to their unique school contexts. During the year, participating principals will engage in assignments to practice the school improvement process through job-embedded activities aligned to the expectations of GaDOE’s School Improvement Division. These activities allow participants to practice data-driven decision making, develop cultural competence as leaders, and sharpen instructional leadership skills. As a member of a cohort with other sitting principals who are also working to transform their schools, participants will further develop their leadership strengths while expanding their network of support. Ultimately, the goal of the GSLA Principal Support Program is to increase the impact of school leaders on behalf of the students and communities they serve.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the yearlong cohort experience, participating turnaround school leaders will be able to develop and refine essential competencies and skills related to school change and apply those in their schools.

To accomplish this goal, participants will need to:

• Understand, identify and apply leadership competencies and behaviors (Wallace)
• Use qualitative and quantitative data (The Center on School Turnaround)
• Understand, identify and apply knowledge of strengths (Gallup)
• Participate fully in all components of the cohort experience

Program Expectations

Participate fully in all components of the cohort experience including:

• Two-day (July 2023) in-person group training session to build key relationships with fellow leaders in the GSLA cohort and begin critical coursework that frames the year-long learning experience (The training will be held at a designated RESA)
• A combination of monthly virtual and in-person meetings (In-person cohort sessions will be held regionally based on the make-up of the cohort.)
• One-on-one and/or group coaching with a leadership coach throughout the year to maximize strengths

Criteria for Acceptance

To participate in the GSLA principal support program, applicants must:

• Work in a district currently partnering with a GSLA affiliated RESA.
• Currently serve in in the role of Principal

What do previous participants say about the GSLA Principal Support Program?

“The presentations from 'sitting principals' were always at the forefront of conversations and thoughts. The practicableness of the conversations and the sharing was awesome.”

“I used several activities and resources provided with my Faculty during meetings. I also shared my the Clifton Strength Finder with my Administrative Team and we discussed the value in each other's strengths to make a great team. I've used the Competencies and numerous articles as research based evidences of the work we have to do. I've also implemented many of the strategies or programs that guest speakers and colleagues have shared!”

“I used the HRS information in preparation for Level 1 Certification. The artifacts were collected throughout the school year.”

“The HRS Session was used throughout the school year especially during my Faculty Meeting in January, to communicate the perceptions of our stakeholders and use this data as a catalyst to empower my teachers to stay the course and finish strong. The Teacher Development sessions and CliftonStrengths sessions guided my work in supporting and coaching my teachers through providing individualized instructional coaching to build their strengths focused on increasing student achievement.”