Supporting Conditions and Infrastructure

These programs are designed to enhance principals’ leadership practice, and a central focus of our training model is to improve principals’ ability to effectively coach educators. In order to ensure successful outcomes in the program, participants and partners need to be aligned with the following:

 

Instructional Alignment and Infrastructure

The district or organization and specific school have or will have within the school year systems that are aligned around core instructional levers of the program (observation and feedback of teachers; data informed instruction; student culture systems and routines; leading adult professional development; building a strong staff culture). Specifically, Relay requires:

• All NPAF participants must use an electronic observation and feedback tracker that enables leaders to track observations, identify action steps, and see trends across multiple observations. Relay strongly recommends the adoption of the Whetstone platform if a comparable platform is not already in use. Click here for pricing details and for contact information if you would like to speak to a Whetstone representative and visit. 
• In the grades for which the leader will be responsible, common, standards-aligned interim assessments that occur at least three times per year, in place by the summer intensive.
• The partner’s systems and organized labor contracts to allow for frequent, informal observations of teachers and coaching debrief meetings

 

Partner Leadership Commitment 

The district or organization has leadership commitment at the district and principal manager level to do this work now:

• The district or organization ensures that video can be used in participants’ work with teachers (including, but not limited to: video-recording classroom instruction, individual feedback conversations with teachers, data meetings with teachers, and professional development sessions)
• Whether enrolled in the Principal Supervisor program or not, all managers of enrolled Fellows or ILPD participants will hold participants accountable for meeting their commitments to Relay, including attendance at sessions and timely and successful submission of assessments
• For those enrolled in the Inclusive School Leadership Institute, principals or other managers will hold participants accountable for meeting their commitments to Relay including session attendance, timely and successful completion of assessments, participation in individual coaching sessions, and participation in school walkthroughs. Principals or other school leaders also agree to participate in the three designated online courses in the fall and spring.

Leadership Selection 

The district or organization selects leaders for the program to whom they are committed for the long term. These leaders demonstrate the following mindsets:

• Continuously Improving Effectiveness: Has demonstrated openness to feedback with willingness to practice and incorporate feedback to continuously improve.
• Belief and Personal Responsibility: Sees it as their personal responsibility as a principal to ensure that ALL of their students succeed. Takes ownership of mistakes and does not make excuses.
• Work Ethic and Relentless Drive: Has a strong work ethic and is willing to do what it takes to build a strong school. In particular, is willing to commit the extra time for this program. 
• All participants must commit to the policies as denoted by the table below: