LLA launches the Aspiring Principal Program

The Lynch Leadership Academy has launched an Aspiring Principal Program! The program seeks to build the capacity of aspiring leaders who lead Catholic, charter and district schools in the Boston region. The Academy provides each Fellow the opportunity to learn and observe new skills and effective practices, to practice and implement them and to receive feedback from expert practitioners, thereby significantly improving their professional capacity for a direct and measurable impact on student achievement.

The Aspiring Principals Program includes several components: a two-day Cohort Retreat, a two-week Summer Institute, a year-long school-based Residency experience with mentorship from an effective Mentor Principal and ongoing coursework and professional development throughout the year.  

Cohort Retreat:  The focus of the cohort retreat is cohort-building that leads to the development of a Professional Learning Community (PLC). The Lynch Leadership Academy Fellowship intends to foster cross-sector collaboration.  As such, the Cohort Retreat provides a solid foundation for Fellows as they begin to build a PLC. The retreat, facilitated by ARIEL & the Merestim Group, allow aspiring principals to further develop their leadership skills, identify their growth areas, and work with others who will provide them feedback about those areas of growth. The retreat allows aspiring leaders to engage in discovery-based and experiential learning.

Summer Institute: The 10-day summer institute, held in early July, includes coursework and entry planning sessions. These professional development opportunities focus on a wide range of topics pertinent to the vitality and success of urban schools including visioning, school culture, instructional leadership, managing organizational change, database decision-making, political realities, educational equity, and institutional advancement. During the institute, aspiring leaders not only learn from scholar-practitioners, but also continue to develop a network of school leaders that provides ongoing knowledge and support. The sessions offer fresh ideas, tools, and skills for the Fellows to use in their schools and communities.

School-based Residency: Each aspiring principal completes a yearlong residency alongside an effective Mentor Principal. The school-based residency provides the aspiring principals authentic opportunities to practice key skills with feedback. The school-based residency includes experiences such as leading professional development, leading and facilitating leadership team meetings, observing and providing teachers feedback, engaging key stakeholders and the community, and managing the daily operations of a school.  

Coursework & Professional Development: The coursework and professional development workshops allow aspiring principals to deepen their experiences at the residency site by providing appropriate learning engagements. These workshops occur twice monthly and during two week-long seminars throughout the year. 

Successful Aspiring Principal Program Candidates:

• Have a proven track record of improving student achievement;
• Believe that all students will achieve college success;
• Focus on student achievement results;
• Are data-driven and focused;
• Possess strong project management skills;
• Possess effective interpersonal skills; and
• Are self-aware.