Leadership Academy for Minnesota Charter and Alternative Schools.

Are you a passionate educator with a desire to develop excellent leadership skills and improve student success? Consider joining a select group of 15-20 emerging leaders as part of the 2009-2010 Leadership Academy for Minnesota Charter and Alternative Schools. With funding from the Minnesota Department of Education, this year-long professional growth opportunity is offered free of charge to participants.

The overall mission of the Leadership Academy is to provide a research-based adult learning model that trains, supports, and moves charter school and alternative program leaders into action so that students and families in Minnesota have expanded access to excellent educational options. 

Thanks to Curt Ulrich and Jessica Smaagaard who worked with Leadership Academy participants for a day. Focus was on how to encourage, support, monitor and assist employees. Evaluation of the day was extremely positive.

Charter and alternative school leaders play an enormous role in moving education reform forward into the 21^st century. There has been rapid student enrollment growth in charters and alternative programs over the past five years, and this has contributed to the sense of urgency in better preparing leaders. To address this need, many education advocates, along with State Department of Education officials, have recommended creation of a strong, research based training program that involves collaboration between MDE, the University of Minnesota, businesses, and community leaders. This proposal responds to that recommendation. 

Many publications and research studies have found that school leaders need to be excellent visionaries and excellent manager; they need to develop expertise in school improvement, managing data and curriculum, and understanding instruction, among many other roles and duties (Schmoker, 1999, 2006). Charter school leaders also must have knowledge and skills in operating a non-profit organization and working directly with non-profit boards. William Ouchi (2003) has emphasized that school leaders are the key to education reform, specifically noting seven keys to success for school leaders: (1) every building leader is an entrepreneur; (2) every school controls its own budget; (3) everyone is accountable for student performance; (4) everyone delegates authority to those below; (5) there is a burning focus on student achievement; (6) every school is a community of learners; and (7) families have real choices among a variety of unique schools. (Ouchi, 2003). The Leadership Academy proposed here will draw on fundamental adult learning principles (including ongoing reflection, dialogue, and application of new learning ) to address this wide range of competencies.

2009 Leadership Academy Cohort 2 updates

Leadership Academy Cohort 2 members visited several charter and alternative schools in Chicago in October.   Our goal was to learn more about the details of leading extremely effective charter and alternative public schools.  We interviewed a number of leaders (and some students) from several of the schools visited.  We agreed to share some of the most interesting and valuable things we learned on the trip.  Thanks to the Walton Foundation for helping make this trip possible.

 Here are clips and pictures from their trip:

Click below to see a short clip of Social Justice High School's student values.

  https://netfiles.umn.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-11463691_1

Click below to see a short clip of students from Community Links High School talk about their educational opportunities.

 Leadership Academy participants visit Enlace Chicago on the first day in Chicago.
Enlace Chicago is the lead agency in Little Village for the New Communities Program (NCP), a city wide initiative that seeks to improve the Quality of Life in 16 Chicago neighborhoods, in partnership with the Local Support Corporation (LISC) and with support from the McArthur Foundation (www.enlacechicago.org).

 Leadership Academy participants stop to look at a mural inside Social Justice High school which is located on the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus.

Tamara Witzl (far left), principal of Telpochcalli Community Fine Arts School, meets with Leadership Academy participants.

 William Olsen (far right), principal of Noble Street Academy, talks to Leadership Academy participants.

  Leadership Academy participants talk with students from the University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn Secondary. 

Leadership Academy training began July 27th, 2009.  New participants (Cohort 2) met with their business and education mentors.  Guest speakers include David Domenici and Commissioner Alice Seagren.

 Guest speaker: David Domenici
Co-founder of the See Forever Foundation/chair of the See Forever Board of Directors/founding board member of the Maya Angelou Public Charter School Board

 Guest speaker: Education Commissioner Alice Seagren

Cohort 2 members meet with their mentors