Kate Baehr and mentor Ruth Haze-Short
Washington Mutual: Helping principals develop as leaders
When Kate Baehr, '94, assumed an elementary school principal's job last year, she had eight years of teaching experience and advanced degrees in education to help prepare her for the post.
Unlike most new principals, however, the Seattle University graduate also had a coach.
An innovative program developed by Seattle University's College of Education pairs experienced leadership coaches with new principals to smooth their transition. The program—the only one of its kind in the Northwest—exists thanks to a multiple year, $400,000 grant from Washington Mutual.
“It is cutting edge, and yet it seems so intuitively appropriate,” said Baehr, who earned her MEd in 2001 and is finishing her Educational Leadership doctorate at Seattle University. “It only makes sense that principals need support in their new roles.”
Philanthropy is part of Washington Mutual's mission. The bank is nationally recognized for its support of employee voluntarism and its corporate giving. One of the primary beneficiaries is K–12 public schools.
Seattle University's program fits squarely with that mission, said Jonathan Macaranas, vice-president of corporate and employee giving who oversees the university's grant.
“Combine Seattle University's reputation for academic excellence with the goals of this program, it's just a natural fit,” he said.
Effective principals combine nimble people skills and the detailed eye of an administrator to foster a supportive school atmosphere in which teachers, students and parents are enthusiastic partners.
New principals are expected to make a seamless transition from teacher to leader, said Michael Silver, director of SU's educational administration program. “Universities can take the lead in offering the level of support needed for people who graduate from their programs.” At the SU program's core is the relationship between the principal and the coach.
Recruited coaches are experienced or retired administrators who participate in a three-day workshop and additional follow-up sessions. They are then assigned principals and meet with them up to six hours a month in one-on-one, on-site sessions.
Kathy Odegaard brought 26 years experience as a principal to her role as coach.
Coaches enable new principals to reflect on their work outside of the moment, she said, without the stress of being professionally evaluated.
“It was helpful to have a support person, who was not evaluative, who could provide perspective and be a soundboard,” Baehr said.
Her coach, she said, “was there to help me in any way that she could.”
That, in turn, benefits the school and the students.
From the Winter 2008 issue of the Campaign Newsletter