Supporting Novice Principals on the Job: Join the Webinar Series
This fall, AACTE will present a new webinar series called “Supporting Novice Principals on the Job,” supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of the Association’s ongoing partnership to disseminate the latest research and practice innovations in principal preparation. As moderators of the four webinars, we will explore the day-to-day work of a principal and how principal preparation programs can collaborate with districts to support new leaders.
The webinar series builds on the Wallace Foundation’s Theme from the Field that highlights the need for realistic clinical experiences in quality preparation programs. The webinars can be used to provide clinical expertise to principal preparation programs and to support new principals’ induction programs. The conversations will provide critical, timely information for pre-service principals, novice administrators, and university faculty who teach in principal preparation programs. If you are involved in school leadership, please join us!
Webinar #1: Oct. 18 (3:00 p.m. EDT) – Supporting Novice Principals on the Job: Working Together to Improve Preparation
As co-hosts, we will discuss Colorado State University’s School Leadership Institute. The institute helps identify effective ways to support principals in their critical first year on the job based on feedback from recent program graduates. The goals of the Institute are
- To identify structures and practices to support school leaders in the first three years on the job.
- To provide critical networking opportunities with other new administrators across the country, with a focus on renewal and retention.
- To identify curriculum for university-based principal preparation programs that reflects the reality of principals’ jobs.
The Leadership Institute connects to The Wallace Foundation’s report, “Improving University Principal Preparation Programs: Five Themes from the Field.” This report highlights recent research about the importance of a strong university-district partnership; district leaders’ views about the need to improve principal preparation programs, including in ways that reflect principals’ real jobs; and how some university policies and practices can hinder change.
Mark your calendar for additional upcoming webinars in the series:
- October 24, 3:00 p.m. EDT: Balancing Work Home Life
- November 28, 3:00 p.m. EST: Mentoring Support in Difficult Situations
- December 12, 3:00 p.m. EST: Principal Preparation for the Complexity of the Work
Participants are encouraged to join the webinars in progress and to ask key questions about the topic. The webinars will also be recorded and archived for future use in principal preparation classrooms or for professional development of practicing professionals.
Webinars in this series are moderated and designed by Wendy Fothergill, assistant professor and coordinator of principal licensure, and Donna Cooner, professor, of Colorado State University (CSU).
A former teacher and school administrator, Donna Cooner teaches and advises in the principal preparation Master of Education program and supervises doctoral students in educational leadership at CSU Previously, she was the director of the teacher preparation program at Colorado State University for nine years. Cooner has served as a national Commissioner for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and as an invited panelist for the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Her research agenda is focused on teacher and principal preparation for PK-12 schools.
Wendy Fothergill coordinates, instructs and advises in the Principal Licensure and Master’s Plus Teaching Secondary Programs at CSU. Prior to this position, Fothergill served for 16 years as a teacher and educational leader in Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland PK-12 schools. Her scholarly interests focus on building communities of practice in PK-12 schools. She is currently engaged in research on structures of practice to support school leaders. Fothergill was designated as a Fellow in the 2016 class of the CSU Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence, and in 2017, she received the CSU Online Innovative Educator Award for her instructional practices.
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, principal preparation
