The Evolution of a Program

My friend, Shirley Hord, Scholar Emeritus of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, and fellow traveler across states too numerous to mention, said something pretty important--the predictable end of a successful change or innovation is the Stage of Renewal. By "renewal," Shirley meant that the people implementing the change had internalized it so completely that they improved upon the original design. That is, the innovation was "renewed."

Why is innovation stage theory on my radar tonight? Here's why: Since 2007, Wake County Public School System has sponsored a two-year program originally designed to enhance the leadership practice of school administrators. It was to be called the "Aspiring Leaders Institute." To say the program has changed is an understatement. But let me start from the beginning.

WCPSS senior leaders, then as now, wanted to provide opportunities in a cohort setting for high-potential leaders to learn more. They also wanted to fill the pipeline with qualified candidates for the next leadership level, generally the principalship. Senior leaders and accomplished principals worked with Triangle Leadership Academy to build the curriculum, create and coordinate the application process, and convene presenters for half-day monthly meetings.

The application process was as rigorous as admittance to a graduate program. Accomplished principals and area superintendents convened in panels of 3 or 4 to conduct a structured interview of administrators who had submitted a written application, including a resume, statement of professional interest, list of leadership experiences, essays on questions important to the district and practice of school leadership, and for the first cohort, scores on a self-administered online leadership assessment. Just to be selected was an honor.

The idea original model involved spending the first year learning from central service professionals about how, for example, student population growth was managed, students assigned to schools and new schools constructed. Year two was about going deeper into a particular leadership content, for example, leading change. During the intervening summer, participants worked together in the Langford Quality Tools Seminar. A capstone project was the crafting of an educational philosophy statement.

Nearly four years and three cohorts later, the Institute has expanded its target population from primarily assistant principals to one-third central-service administrators. This is due, in part, because of our listening to district leaders and program participants as well as to our assessing the "fill rate" of school and central service leadership positions.

We have also re-designed the curriculum to include more work with outside consultants, for example, Gail Ostrishko and her facilitation of the Highlands Ability Battery about which I wrote several months ago. Most recently, we hosted Steve and Suzi Snyder of the Choiceful Group who introduced Institute members to the Change Grid process. The idea is to look at once more deeply into one's own strengths and at what external partners may bring to the table.

Soon after we return from holiday break, I will announce to WCPSS senior leaders and other educational stakeholders an event to be held sometime in late May or early June, an event created entirely by members of Aspiring Administrators Leadership Institute III around a problem of practice.

In a few hours, I will be joining TLA Consultant for Planning & Development, Jim Sweeney, at Wake Ed Partnership where we convene the Institute. He and I will be more "guides on the side" than "stand and deliverers" while 12 outstanding mid-level administrators learn from and with each other--just like in the real world. Stand by for more.