Teacher and Leader Development
Aspiring Leaders Academy
Program Overview
Selma City Schools Aspiring Leaders Academy is designed for current SCS employees who desire to further develop and strengthen their personal and professional leadership skills. Members of the Aspiring Leader Academy will engage in interactive professional learning sessions, participate in hands-on learning experiences to gain relevant experience, and receive personalized coaching for support. Participants do not currently have to hold a leadership certificate to enroll in the Aspiring Leaders Academy.
Program Commitments
1. Attend monthly sessions in order to develop and strengthen leadership skills.
2. Create a Capstone Project to solve a current problem that your school or department faces.
3. Engage in group discussions around school improvement and leadership development including face-to-face and virtual communications.
4. Engage in feedback sessions with peers, mentors and other leaders in the district.
5. Complete stretch role assignments that will improve experiences.
6. Receive support from Director of Teacher and Leader Development, Principals, and other leaders.
7. Research best practices and strategies for school improvement and leadership development.
8. Shadow school and district leaders throughout the school year.
9. Apply content learned during monthly sessions to current work at schools.
Program Components
1. Professional Development Workshop Series - Aspiring Leaders will engage in interactive professional development workshops from 4:00-7:00 pm between September and May.
2. Hands-On Practice - There are 3 types of hands-on practice intended to support Aspiring Leaders in applying their learning to impact their schools and gain relevant experience: 1) All participants will select and complete a Capstone Project in partnership with their school teams 2) Each workshop will be accompanied by an “Essential Experience” that will challenge participants to apply what they have learned in their schools 3) Aspirants will have the option to apply for and lead the XSel Summer School program. All hands-on practice opportunities and resulting artifacts/outcomes will be documented via an electronic portfolio to support coaching, communities of practice and preparation for interviews.
3. Personalized Coaching - Each Aspiring leader will receive monthly coaching session. Coaches will support Aspiring Leaders through focused monthly coaching conversations focused on honing their leadership skills, successfully completing their Capstone project and/or preparing for interviews.
4. Community of Practice - During each workshop, Aspiring Leaders will have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers to reflect on their learning and receive support on their Essential Experiences and Capstone Projects.
New Principal Mentor Program
New principals to Selma City Schools will participate in the district's New Principal Mentor program during years 1-2 of their Principalship. New principals will engage in monthly sessions with their mentor principal to become better prepared to lead with excellence. Mentors and mentees meet in structured and informal settings to achieve program goals.
Program Goals:
1. Provide a support system to help minimize the stress and frustration many new principals experience.
2. Provide new principals with mentoring support and professional learning opportunities to help them grow as instructional leaders.
