PROGRAM FOR NEW PRINCIPALS
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Kate Baehr and her coach Ruth Hayes-Short
“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.”
About Program For New Principals
The College of Education at Seattle University has received a grant to create a model program assisting graduates from the Educational Administration Program as they transition into their beginning years as principals. The Program for New Principals will be the first graduate education program in the Northwest to provide structured support for new administrators through leadership coaching, on-going professional development, and assistance with continuing professional certification requirements. Funded by Washington Mutual, Stuart Foundation,and JP Morgan Chase. The program will also offer coach training for experienced school administrators.
The Program for New Principals has two components:
Coaching support is provided for graduates of Seattle University’s Educational Administration Program who become assistant principals, principals, and program administrators. coaching support for other new administrators from participating school districts is also provided.
The Leadership Coach component provides training for Leadership Coaches for new administrators from Seattle University and participating school districts.
Leadership Coaches will provide four to six hours a month of one-on-one, on- site leadership coaching to new administrators. These sessions will include feedback for the new administrator on classroom observations, post-observation conferences, parent meetings, and faculty meetings. They will also provide the new administrator opportunities to problem solve in a confidential, supportive environment. Leadership Coaches are retired or experienced administrators, who are committed to developing exceptional school leaders, want to make a difference, and see themselves as change agents in pursuit of excellence for students.
The Leadership Coaches are required to participate in a 3-day workshop in August and four follow-up sessions throughout the school year. The training will help the Leadership Coach learn such strategies and skills as trust building, listening, questioning, problem solving, and distinguishing assessments from assertions, formative assessments, and goal setting. If you are an experienced administrator interested in becoming a Leadership Coach, please click here.
School districts can become involved by nominating retired or experienced administrators who have the skills to be Leadership Coaches or by providing leadership coaches for new administrators in their district. If you are interested in having Leadership Coaches for the new administrators in your district, please click here.
Mission and Goals
Program Impact
Strengthen leadership for schools.
Develop coaching as an academic discipline.
Be a leader in the role of higher education in principal preparation.
Retain and support school leaders.
Goals:
To create a research-based, model pilot-program supporting new administrators through coaching, and to provide coach training and develop coaches committed to the success of new leaders.
Guiding Principles:
The success of school improvement efforts is dependent on effective school leadership.
Administrators need intense support in their early years on the job (induction) to master the managerial and emotional demands of the position and emerge as effective leaders who can guide their schools toward improved student achievement.
Working with an outside coach is a desirable coaching model, as it may be difficult to establish a coaching relationship built on trust and confidentiality with a senior administrator working in the same district as the new principal.
Professional coaching requires the development of quality coaches. It involves learning new, sometimes complex skills and understandings. (Pedagogy of coaching.)
Coaches need systems of support that provide the status, time, development and recognition to function in this demanding role.
Universities must take a fresh perspective by offering effective support for graduates as they transition to new leadership roles.