1. a paradigm shift in preparing instructional leaders  (Page 4/7)

Joint selection of applicants was a key MOA proviso. Aspiring leaders submitted a portfolio of information to the committee and completed a structured interview with teams comprised of local school district administrators and USA program faculty. Applicants interested only in earning an advanced degree and a salary increase and those with minimal leadership potential were denied admission.

Next, faculty developed new courses and assigned each of the SBE’s 96 knowledge and ability statements to them. The semester-long residency was weighted with tasks requiring authentic assessments, and the redesign team created a sequence of courses that would bring students to the residency in either a fall or spring academic term.

The redesigned curriculum consisted of six campus-based courses and the residency. Faculty agreed to offer only one course each semester with the exception of the summer term, when two would be required. Students were told at their orientation session to take courses in a prescribed sequence. Consequently, an adequate number of faculty was available to teach the old and new curriculums concurrently.

Further, the joint selection of students gave school district representatives an accurate count of the number of substitute teachers who would needed during the residency. Superintendents in USA’s service area who had not signed the MOA had no way of knowing when or how many of their teachers might apply to the program, so the leadership faculty agreed to contact them prior to interview sessions with that information and to discuss residency requirements. The first cohort, which began its campus-based course work in January, 2007, and completed its residency in December, 2009, consisted of 16 students from three local districts. Two superintendents approved substitute teachers for their aspiring administrators. One superintendent approved professional leave, but declined to pay the resident’s salary or provide other benefits during the term.

Mentor training

Mentoring has its origin in Greek mythology, and the idea that the best people should train the neophytes in an organization makes sense. Superintendents of school districts represented in the first cohort of students wanted their aspiring administrators to practice leadership skills both in elementary and secondary settings. They chose mentors for their ability to improve student achievement and for their emotional intelligence. Regrettably, funds were not available to reward mentors for this added responsibility.

Mentors were oriented to USA’s redesigned leadership program six weeks before the first cohort began its residency. They were asked to work collaboratively with residents to select activities at their schools that would give them opportunities for leadership. They also were asked to complete a Resident Performance Evaluation that included each of the 18 authentic ability statements in the residency and to use those evaluations for formative discussions with residents about instructional leadership. Mentors completed an evaluation of the redesigned program near the end of the semester. The mean scores of their responses are included in Table 1.