National Principal Academy Fellowship
The National Principal Academy Fellowship (NPAF) empowers principals and school leadership team members to leverage and strengthen their instructional leadership skills to support excellent teaching for all students.
Program Overview
The National Principals Academy Fellowship is a one year fellowship program that allows school leaders the opportunity to sharpen their instructional leadership skills by learning from expert instructional leaders. Throughout the course of the intense one-year program, leaders will see examples of instructional best practice, plan for context-specific implementation, and receive targeted feedback on their practice. Cohorts are comprised of a diverse set of school leaders from all over the country and is inclusive of principals, assistant principals, academic deans, and teacher-coaches, who will work with each other to practice new skills, and problem solve the unique challenges they each face as they seek to strengthen their instructional leadership.
Research has shown that school leadership matters, influencing student learning in significant ways. The NPAF program helps to support leaders’ skill development as leaders of instruction by providing professional development that:
- builds skills to coach teachers to be more effective
- builds deep knowledge of the instructional shifts and evidence of teaching and learning required by new standards
- is practice based and aligned to the core work of leading data informed instruction, planning and teacher observation
Program Experience
Participants in the NPAF program will enjoy:
- A virtual summer intensive
- Four intersessions aimed at deepening previous learning and introducing new content
- The opportunity to practice and receive feedback via video assessments and learning teams
- Access to a national network of instructional leaders to support implementation and problem solve critical challenges
Ideal Candidate
School leaders, including principals, assistant principals, academic deans and teacher-coaches who support the growth and development of teachers. We seek candidates who embody the mindsets of belief and personal responsibility, continually improving effectiveness, work ethic and relentless drive.
To learn more about the supporting conditions and infrastructure necessary for a successful partnership, click here.
Program Schedule
Program Length: 1 year
The NPAF cohort begins their work with a 6-day summer intensive and continues during four 2-3 day intersessions through the year.
Relay’s Leadership Programs currently plan to remain virtual through the end of 2021, and we currently have plans to offer both in-person and virtual programming beginning in 2022.
Program Dates
For 2021, NPAF Summer Intensive participants will be able to select from three tracks. Each track will include 12 days of up to 4 hours of live virtual programming per day. The time commitment and content are the same regardless of track. Content will include: data-informed instruction (planning, responding to student learning, systems and structures for assessment), inclusive culture, and feedback. Stay tuned for session details.
*Instructional Leadership Professional Development (ILPD) participants will be able to select from the same tracks as NPAF participants.
|
Track |
Description |
Dates |
|
June |
4 daily sessions per week for 3 consecutive weeks in June |
June 7-10 June 14-17 June 21-24 |
|
July |
4 daily sessions per week for 3 consecutive weeks in July |
July 6-9 July 12-15 July 19-22 |
|
Split |
The Split Track Summer Intensive starts in June, breaks for 3.5 weeks, and then resumes in July. Participants engage in 6 sessions over 2 consecutive weeks in June followed by 2 full weeks of no programming and then the other 6 sessions over 2 consecutive weeks in July. |
June 7-10 June 14-15 July 14-15 July 19-22 |
Program Fee
$12,000 per participant
The program fee covers:
- High-quality instructional professional development from experienced leaders
- Hotel guest rooms during intersessions 3 and 4 (in 2022)
- Breakfast, lunch, and snacks for participants during intersessions 3 and 4 (in 2022)
- All course materials, licensing fees, and online access to electronic versions of resources
Participating in Relay's Leadership Programs turned pedagogy into meaningful outcomes for our kids, which, in my opinion, ranks it among the best professional development opportunities for educators across the globe.
Eddie's Story
“[When] I was accepted into Relay's NPAF Leadership Program and [I] found myself in an inspiring community of practitioners who believe in the extraordinary capabilities of every child and school. Over the course of a year, our school not only succeeded but grew into one of the top-performing schools in our county and state. Participating in Relay's Leadership Programs turned pedagogy into meaningful outcomes for our kids, which, in my opinion, ranks it among the best professional development opportunities for educators across the globe.”
- Eddie Rangel
Executive Director, Adelante Schools
National Principal Academy Fellowship, 2019
Leverage Leadership Institute, 2020
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