Life-Changing Experiences Ahead

Well it is official... after two years, I have completed my specialized Turn-Around leadership training. The Principal Rapid Orientation and Preparation in Educational Leadership (PROPEL) program is designed to create leaders with the skills needed to work in my district's neediest schools. Our final course in Critical Urban Education was the end of a rigorous fast-paced program, during which I earned my degree in Educational Leadership along with both my Level 1 & Level 2 (Principal) credentials. So now that I am done....what's next?

Now the process begins....While I have my principal credentials, I will still need Assistant Principal experience before I am ready to take the helm of my own school. So my application for Assistant Principal positions is in the process of being "tweeked". Included is the extensive list of trainings with more than a dozen leadership trainings with the Center for Leadership and Learning, DDI training, SREB training, Marzano's Interrater Reliabilty Training, trainings in Data Teams and " Visible Learning". We studied Strategic Leadership, learned change theory, and all about 90-90-90 Schools. I understand how to build internal and external relationships, cultivate partnerships, and can develop a marketing plan that would rival an ad agency. More importantly, the PROPEL program was designed so that we gained real- world practical experience as learned about and applied the theories being taught in class. If you followed my blog over the past two years, you will see how these experiences have changed my thinking and ignited in me a desire to make a difference for a group of students that needs a leader with all the tools they can possible have!!

So... Its time to take the next step... to venture off in a new direction. This blog will continue to evolve as I transition into an official leadership role, and as I continue to learn and grow as a leader. As a life-long learner I have plans to continue on in school...working on my Ph.D.  All the classes I have taken this past year are part of that program, but I suspect it will take another 4 years to complete my Ph.D, so grad school will be in my future for a while! For now, I will begin applying for positions and hope that I will be placed wherever I can do the most good for children. Changes are in store, and I am looking forward to the ride!!!