2008-2009 Leadership Academy for Charter and Alternative Schools

(NOTE:  Applications for the 2009-2010 Leadership Academy will be available on this website in January, 2009).

The 2008-2009 Leadership Academy wrapped up its first six days of intensive training in early August and it was a huge success!  All of the participants indicated that the Academy will be useful in helping them to become better instructional leaders (almost three quarters of the participants indicated it was “extremely useful”).  Leadership Academy participants will continue to meet as a cohort group throughout the 2008-2009 school year and will also meet monthly with both education and business-sector mentors.

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

The Academy is guided by two overarching goals:

1.  By the end of the 2008-2009 cohort year, the Leadership Academy for Charter and Alternative Schoolswill demonstrate they have developed and delivered a training program that ensures program participants:

A.  Expanded their knowledge of research-based strategies to help all students attain high levels of achievement and a strong commitment to being an active, constructive citizen.

B.  Increased their understanding of the program components and recruitment strategies that have helped produce public schools with a racially and socio-economically mixed student body

C.  Increased their understanding of what a school must do so that its students are fully prepared for some form of post-secondary education.

D.  Expanded their knowledge of the major fiscal responsibilities they have in running a Minnesota charter or alternative school.

E.  Felt that the program respected them as professionals and provided opportunities for individual growth and contribution.

2.  Within two years of the completing the program, at least 80% of program participants who are directing a school will demonstrate that their school has achieved the greater of either

A.  Their school’s specific reading and math achievement goals; or

B.  At least 1.5 year’s student growth in reading and math as measured by an identified value-added assessment or 80% student proficiency on statewide assessments.

Applications for the 2009-2010 Leadership Academy will be available (on this website) in January, 2009.

For more information about the Leadership Academy, contact:

Laura Bloomberg, Associate Director

Center for School Change

University of Minnesota

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612-626-7403