These contracts, in addition to funding provided by a grant from the G.E. Fund, help fund BEST's two main programs: "Exploring the Principalship" (consisting of workshops during the school year, and an intensive summer institute) and "The Principalship: Learning Through Action" (BEST's apprenticeship program).

It is strongly encouraged that students take both Instructional Leadership: SED AP 713 and Performance Based Educational Leadership: SED AP 720. The curriculums for the two courses are coordinated and build on each other. The two courses will be held in room 228 at the new School of Management Building, 595 Comm. Ave.

Instructional Leadership
SED AP 713 (2 Graduate Credits) Tuition: $776
Instructor: Kim Marshall, Principal, Mather School, Boston Public Schools
Dates: June 29 and 30, July 5, 6, 7, July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Weekdays, 1:00-3:00 P.M.

Improving instruction is increasingly being identified as the most important aspect of a principal's job. This course will assist participants in developing the skills needed to be effective instructional leaders. Since schools are service organizations, dependent on the professional skills and attitude of those in the organization, the ability to lead and develop teachers is a significant priority. The course will focus on the critical one-to-one relationship between principal and teacher, including assessing teaching strengths and weaknesses, coaching, development and evaluation. In addition, consistent with the institute's theme of viewing schools as interconnected organizations, participants will consider how to structure a school-wide program of instructional improvements and will examine successful models. Improved instruction requires enhanced content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical-content knowledge. What types of professional development work enhance each of these areas? How can this be built into a sustainable process that will reach even those who are not enthusiastic participants? Participants will explore how this process can be built into a school culture and will apply the skills developed in the concurrently taught Performance Based Education Leadership course.

Performance Based Educational Leadership
SED AP 720 (4 Graduate Credits) Tuition: $1,472
Instructor: Prof. Gerry Leader, Boston University,
along with Muriel Leonard, Principal, McCormack Middle School, Boston Public Schools,
and other principals from EDCO school districts
Dates: June 29 and 30, July 5, 6, 7, July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Weekdays, 8:00-12:00 A.M.

This course will assist principals and principal aspirants to meet the challenges of leading in a standards based environment. Topics will include – Focusing a school on student outcomes: How a leader can set high expectations and align a school to student performance outcomes. There will be an introduction to tools and methods used for documenting progress toward performance results. Change Management: Effective principals are continuously improving the performance of their schools; in doing this they are managing change. Proven change models and their application will be an ongoing theme. Schools as Organizations: Participants will examine some of the alternative structures being adopted by schools such as teacher teams, clusters, and cross-disciplinary teams; the strengths and weaknesses of each and when each is best used or avoided. Prioritization: How educational leaders can effectively use prioritization, delegation, and power sharing in managing a high-performance school. Resource Management: How to make the most of scarce resources and to analyze and make decisions about financial and teacher resources. Leadership Development: The course will emphasize critical enabling skills for principals such as the ability to give and receive feedback, establishing credible sources of feedback and information, and techniques for personal self-development.

To download a pdf of this flyer click here.

The purpose of the program is to give each of the participants a chance to experience first-hand the challenges and triumphs associated with leading a school change effort. The specific change efforts undertaken in the program are designed to focus on student learning and achievement and take into account the current performance-driven, standards-based environment.

The Program

The Principalship: Learning Through Action consists of three parts, a workshop series, a school project, and a final project.

Part 1 - Workshop Series

Participants attend and participate in Louise Thompson?s ?Leading the Learning? series of workshops. These six-hour workshops are designed to help principals improve their leadership in order to enhance student learning. The workshops are held over the course of the school year, concluding in the Spring.

On occasion there are 1 to 2 hour workshop ?follow-ups? held after the Leading the Learning session. These follow-up sessions, conducted by BU faculty, are designed to help participants transition into their work with a school principal on a change project.

Part 2 - School Project

A standard part of principal certification is a practicum, designed to give a student exposure to the job of principal. This can be a great opportunity to get exposure to the role of principal. However a practicum does not always afford the student the chance to see an exemplary principal in action, trying to work on a project to benefit his or her school. This program does just that.

Each participant is matched with an exemplary principal who has already taken the Leading the Learning series. As part of their participation in the series, many of these principals have already initiated school projects, so they have the benefit of both the series and experience. The program participants work side by side with the principal on a project, either the continuation of an existing project or a new project that they agree on. This gives participants not only the chance to work with an experienced leader but also the chance to see how the lessons of Leading the Learning can be applied in a school.

The teams are not left completely to their own devices. The BEST program at Boston University provides on-site (at the school of the mentor principal) consultation to the participant-mentor team. These sessions provide an opportunity to discuss implementation issues, project progress, project assessment or other timely issues. In addition, once projects are well underway, the follow-up sessions will provide an opportunity for the teams to talk over the project with the other teams and get feedback and advice.

Part 3 - The Final Project

Each participant is asked to do a project assessment as the final step in the program. This assessment provides several benefits. First, it is of benefit to the principal mentors who have worked on the project, potentially providing useful recommendations that can enhance the project and promote future success. In addition, the assessment gives each participant the opportunity to reflect on his or her experience and to think about how lessons from Leading the Learning could be applied. Finally the participant is able to document their learning and draw tentative conclusions about improving school change efforts they may be involved in at the time or in the future.