Discussion of how three districts are working together to provide an administrative internship for teachers. Our goal is to meet the needs of students and families in Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney: A strategic approach to ensuing that all schools are led by a well-prepared and supported equity-driven leader.
Leadership Learning Walks
ESU 2, in partnership with member building principals, sought out and created an innovative PLC structure based on the needs of those leaders. Leadership Learning Walks are a PLC through which leaders are placed in a triad or quad with other rural leaders, visit each other’s schools to dive deeper into individual problems of practice and support one another in solving those problems. Join us as we show you how this partnership used a very innovative approach to leadership professional development.
The Objectives of the Leadership Learning Walks are:
1. To facilitate multiple small principal networks who support each other make clear, measurable progress in increasing equitable student outcomes at each of their respective schools.
2. To build professional learning communities for school leaders as they focus on improving instruction, school culture, and effective learning environments.
3. To engage network teams in data-rich conversations that lead to improved equitable student outcomes.
4. To pinpoint effective, evidence-based practices that are likely to lead to increased equitable student outcomes.
5. To give and receive non evaluative growth producing feedback.
Building People Who Build Companies
We don’t teach passion or purpose or the power of claiming ownership. Why? Because passion, purpose, and claiming authorship can’t be taught! However, these life-giving elements can be discovered! The Engler Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln has been built on a foundation of embracing the discovery process where each aspiring entrepreneur is accepted as a unique bundle of brand equity with potential that can either be grown or depleted.
In the discovery process, our approach is to practice the time honored principles set forth by business thought leaders such as Tom Peters, Jim Collins, Diana Kander and Seth Godin. Chief among these principles is a willingness to eliminate hierarchy in favor of creating a culture and environment where autonomy, mastery and purpose drive outcomes. The Engler model is driven by questions instead of answers, fast learning in an environment where failure is not only tolerated but celebrated, and where the process of discovery is not constrained to a specific block of time but embraced as a lifetime pursuit.
Innovative Programming in Teacher Education
Three specific initiatives will be discussed (1) CSC’s Special Education Para-to-Teacher Program, (2) CSC’s School-based Partnership Program for Teaching Internships, and (3) CSC’s Teacher Recruitment Initiative. All three of these programs were prompted by continuous feedback from partnership schools with regard to teacher shortages and the need for flexible and timely teacher preparation.
No longer can our education profession continue to meet the growing needs of our society while functioning in its current structure. Regardless of our respective educational organization, we can no longer operate in relative isolation as the social, economic, and political pressures/constraints tighten around us. We must work as a team; as one voice in addressing the issues before us state-wide. PK-12, ESU, NDE, and Education Preparation Program administrators must be innovative and collaborative in our approaches to meet the growing needs of PK-12 students (i.e., Socio-emotional learning).
You will love this presentation!