Mentor Principal Binder

Table of Contents Mentor Principal Welcome Letter

New Leaders Mission, Vision & Values

Urban Excellence Framework Concept Maps

New Leader Resident Standards & Competencies

15 Leadership Actions

New Leaders OrganizationFoundational Beliefs

Dear Mentor Principal,

Welcome and thank you for agreeing to serve as a Mentor Principal for New Leaders. You will play an important role in the development of the Resident that you have agreed to support in their quest to become an Effective Urban School Principal.

If you are new to this role, we welcome you to a vibrant and devoted community. If you are returning, we celebrate an ongoing partnership with you! At New Leaders our mission is to promote high academic achievement for every child by attracting and preparing the next generation of outstanding leaders and supporting the urban schools they lead. By serving as a Mentor Principal, you are personally guiding the growth and development of that next generation of outstanding leaders, and we celebrate our partnership with you. You stand with an amazing team of people who believe that great schools are led by great principals who coach and inspire others to unlock the potential for each and every child.

We know that the Resident serving in your school will fully commit him/herself to this learning environment in order to be prepared to be a part of something that will define the future of public education. We know that high achievement for every student is being demonstrated in a small number of classrooms and urban schools across our country, and it is our mission to make this high achievement true for every student in every classroom. We have set a collective goal of having 90 – 100% of our students at 90 – 100% academic proficiency and 90 – 100% graduation by the year 2014. With you and our New Leaders at the helm of urban public schools, we believe we can reach this goal. Our society’s greatest domestic challenge is that this kind of success is not being accomplished at scale, especially in high needs schools, and, with your help, we can make this happen. We are well positioned to address this challenge because we have the mission, the drive, the experience, and the knowledge as well as high performing and hard working partners like yourself. This year, our Residents and Principals are reaching over 300,000 students who are being lead by New Leaders principals. You are helping to make this possible.

The development of strong urban school principals depends on many important factors many of which Residents will complete during their first year with New Leaders for New Schools. The Foundational Year addresses the knowledge, skills, and orientations that Residents need in order to transform an urban school in the 21st century. During the year the Residents will receive support from the me, the Aspiring Principal Program Director, where I will provide onsite coaching as well as extended learning through bi-weekly seminars and local courses. Finally and critically, you, as the Mentor Principal, will provide invaluable opportunities for the application of their new learning in real time.

Thank you for agreeing to be part of this developmental journey. Your participation and support ensures that the New Leaders for New Schools Resident working in your school will be prepared to lead an urban school which ensures high academic achievement for every child.

Sincerely,

Nicole WilliamsAspiring Principal Program Director

Aspiring Principal Program Standards define what Residents need to know and be able to do to lead schools in preparing all students to be successful in college, careers, and citizenship.

StandardsHigh-level statements of what Residents need to know and be able to do to lead schools in preparing all students to be successful in college, careers, and citizenship.

ConceptsHigh level themes embedded within each standard

CompetenciesCore specific statements within each concept regarding what Residents need to know and be able to do to lead schools in preparing all students to be successful in college, careers, and citizenship.

Standard OnePersonal Leadership through Embedded Skills and ActionsHighly effective New Leaders demonstrate personal and professional behaviors focused on reflective practice, effective communication and strategic thinking to improve student achievement.

New Leaders will know and be able to:

Reflective Practice and Continuous Improvement 1.1a: Demonstrate personal resolve and maintain core confidence and belief in self and the school, even in the face of adversity 1.1b: Continuously reflect on performance, seek feedback and actively pursue opportunities to improve personal leadership and the school

Communication, Cultural Competence and Interpersonal Relationships 1.2a: Model appropriate communication strategies with others, interactions transmit the message of the school’s vision and mission 1.2b: Create structured opportunities to collect feedback from all stakeholders to drive decision making by engaging diverse perspectives, demonstrating cultural competence and establishing expectations for culturally responsive practices 1.2c: Build strong and trusting relationships

Managing Change 1.3a: Effectively manage change to support the vision and mission 1.3b: Identify root causes of why actions create positive or negative relationships 1.3c: Recognize and appropriately address adaptive challenges by tackling teacher systems, biases

Standard TwoLearning and Teaching/Data Driven InstructionHighly effective New Leaders drive gains in student achievement by aligning curriculum and assessments to standards based planning, remaining focused on high expectations for all students, using data to drive instruction and interventions and ensuring quality instruction within the building.

New Leaders know and will be able to:

Curriculum/Assessments/Scope and Sequence 2.1a: Translate both state and Common Core standards into a clear scope and sequence 2.1b:Alignment of assessments to curriculum and standards

Standards-based Planning 2.2a:Successfully lead instructional staff in developing lesson and unit plans aligned with college- ready standards (preferably Common Core)

Pedagogy/Instructional Strategies 2.3a:Articulate classroom based non-negotiables for instruction focused on planning and instructional strategies to increase student achievement

2.3b: Create structures to ensure the development, implementation and evaluation of consistent and quality classroom routines and instructional strategies supporting the belief that all students can achieve at high levels academically

Data Driven Instruction 2.4a: Utilize multiple forms of student-level data to drive dramatic gains in student achievement 2.4b: Lead the DDI cycle, focused on teachers adjusting instructional practice to meet the needs of all students

Pyramid of Academic Interventions 2.5a: Use formative data to design and implement academic interventions for all students and the implementation of a targeted pyramid of interventions

Standard ThreeVision, Mission and Values – Strategy Driven by DataHighly effective New Leaders strategically create a Vision and Mission grounded in the belief that all students can achieve at high levels academically and will be prepared to be successful in college, careers, and citizenship and that it is the adults’ responsibility to ensure this vision.

New Leaders will know and be able to:

Vision and Mission 3.1a: Create, refine and articulate a compelling vision, mission and set of values for academic success and ensure all students in every grade level articulate a vision for college, careers, and citizenship 3.1b: Inspire parents, teachers and students champion vision and mission for academic success Diagnostic and Strategic Planning 3.2a: Analyze and diagnose complex issues and identify challenges in order to determine what is needed to achieve the vision and mission 3.2b: Facilitate collaborative development of strategic plan in service of the vision and mission, school-wide goals and objectives

Standard Four:Systems and OperationsHighly effective New Leaders manage operations, communication and external relationships in ways that maximize the use of resources to promote the Vision and Mission of the school.

New Leaders will know and be able to:

Operational Systems and Structures Aligned to Vision and Mission 4.1a: Manage both human capital and fiscal resources and create operations tools that clear the path for vision and mission work 4.1b: Implement data collection systems to monitor and track progress against strategic plans

Communication Systems 4.2a: Implement communication systems to enable effective communication among teachers, parents, students and administrators

External Relationships 4.3a: Seek out, develop and maintain external partnerships, stakeholder relationships, district/CMO relationship aligned to the vision and mission

Standard FiveSchool Culture, Family and Community EngagementHighly effective New Leaders create a culture where all students are valued and held to high expectations.

New Leaders know and will be able to:

Urgency and Efficacy 5.1a: Set high but achievable cascading goals for the school, grade levels/departments, teachers and students 5.1b: Create and maintain school-wide sense of urgency and commitment to ensuring high academic achievement for all students 5.1c: Develop and leverage a sense of efficacy that influences the collective efficacy of the entire school community

Cultural Competence 5.2a: Leverage the strengths of cultural differences to facilitate an equitable school climate while fostering a sense of community within the school.

Systems, Routines, Behaviors and Code of Conduct 5.3a: Operationalize the school’s vision and mission through the development of norms, behavioral expectations – including a Code of Conduct, incentives and rituals 5.3b: Translate the vision and mission into an identity and set of behavioral expectations for adults and students focused on teamwork, collaboration and a sense of ownership amongst all stakeholders 5.3c: Ensure equitable, consistent and quality classroom and school-wide practices that reinforce the behavioral expectations

Family and Community Engagement 5.4a: Proactively and purposefully engage families and the larger community in the academic and social success of children for college, careers, and citizenship

Standard SixHuman Capital ManagementHighly effective New Leaders reinforce the school’s culture through recruitment, selection, management and development of aligned staff.

New Leaders know and will be able to:

Recruitment and Selection 6.1a: Recruit, hire, and place staff with strong instructional expertise, all new hires to the school are mission and valued-aligned 6.1b: Implement a comprehensive hiring and induction process

Professional Development 6.2a: Improve instruction by developing teacher professional learning communities, in which staff build each others’ capacity and hold each other accountable. 6.2b: Observe and provide timely feedback to staff on the effectiveness of instruction

Leadership Development 6.3a: Build leadership capacity of teachers and school leaders 6.3b: Support high-performing instructional teams

Performance Management 6.4a: Define clear and detailed performance expectations for all staff, instructional and non- instructional 6.4b: Strategically monitor and hold all staff accountable for meeting performance expectations

Our belief is that if all of these components are executed in a high quality way, our Resident Principals will leave this year prepared to lead a s c h o o l t o a c h i e v e transformational gains.

Resident learning is based around this simple framework. We identify standards of best p r a c t i c e s f o r transformational school leaders, ident i fy the actions that they need to put into practice to meet t h e s t a n d a r d s a n d provide the necessary coursework to ensure that they will be successful in their endeavors.

Table of Contents Mentor Principal Overview and Expectations

Resident Principal Endorsement Overview

Suggested Supporting Activities

A Day in the Life of a Resident (Fall & Spring)

Mentor Principal Agreement (Mentor’s Copy)

Leadership:Mentor Principal

Mentor Principal Overview and Expectations

Overview

The role of Mentor Principal is one of the critical components of the New Leaders program. Our Residency has several unique features.

• Residents take an active and significant leadership role in helping the Mentor meet the school’s mission.• While the Residents will spend some time observing the Mentor, they spend the majority of the year actively engaged

in work aimed at improving student achievement.• Residents should have high-stakes opportunities to practice the skills they have gained from our Foundations

coursework, to develop growth along the New Leader Standards, Competencies and 15 Actions and to demonstrate, on a small-scale what they will have to do as a building principal.

Therefore, the role of the Mentor Principal is not only to model successful school leadership, but more important, to work with the New Leaders staff and the Resident to create valuable leadership experiences during the Residency.

Resident Projects

As part of the Residency experience, each Resident completes formal Projects which focus on data collection and analysis, observation and supervision of instruction, and literacy and math instruction, leading to high levels of student learning. The specifics of the Projects are detailed with the Mentor to ensure they are aligned to the current needs and mission of the Residency site. During the Residency, all Residents receive one-on-one coaching from a New Leaders for New Schools Leadership Coach, a former principal. The Mentor Principal, Leadership Coach, and Resident collaborate on an action plan for completion of the Projects.

Expectations of Mentor Principals

Specifically, New Leaders expects that each Mentor will:• Set the Resident up for success:

o Introduce the Resident to the school community as an administrator/member of the school’s leadership team. The preferred tile for the Resident is “Resident Principal”.

o Designate the Resident as a member of the school’s leadership team or cabinet equivalent to other administrators

o Involve the Resident in leadership team planningo Provide an office or adequate space for the Resident to work

• Provide opportunities for the Resident to lead:o Quite different from some internship programs, which focus more on shadowing, the New Leaders Aspiring

Principals Residency program is designed to give Residents opportunities to lead staff meetings, conduct professional development, observe and supervise teachers, and assume other important school leadership roles and responsibilities.

• Share knowledge and experience with the Resident:o Model leadershipo Establish regular opportunities for reflection and conversationo Meet regularly with the Resident to discuss progress and mutual expectations (monthly)o Touch base and communicate with the Resident on a weekly basis on building and leadership issues

• Collaborate with the Resident and Leadership Coach on the following:o A Professional Leadership Development Plan for the Residento Identification of teachers and teams for the Resident to work with on Residency Projectso Additional leadership activities that will provide the Resident with opportunities to progress along the NL

Standards, Competencies and 15 Leadership Actions

RESIDENT ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS

Leadership PracticeTeacher Practice

40%

60%

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ENDORSEMENTS

These two factors, along with

meeting 100% of the minimum

requirements will impact your

R e s i d e n t P r i n c i p a l ’ s

endorsement.

To be considered for endorsement, Residents must meet the following minimum requirements:

ATTENDANCE AND BI-WEEKLY MEETINGS

• 100% attendance at local inductions - no unexcused absences

• 100% attendance at ongoing local seminars/trainings

• 100% attendance at national trainings

• Meet with the Aspiring Principal Program Director at least twice per month

• Meet regularly with his/her Mentor Principal

ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS

• Complete the Individualized Learning Project (Resident-owned document)

• Complete the Teacher Improvement Project with demonstrated teacher growth for assigned project

grade levels

• Complete assignments provided by New Leader Staff, APP Director and Mentor Principal

• Set and track progress of student achievement goals

• Complete the Resident Assessment

• Pass local requirements for certification (if applicable)

Please Note - Completion of minimum requirements does not mean the Resident will be endorsed. He or she must still earn an endorsement-worthy assessment score provided by an outside observer.

LEADERSHIP PRACTICE ASSESSMENT ELEMENTSLEADERSHIP PRACTICE ASSESSMENT ELEMENTS

Resident PortfolioResidents will be given a list of artifacts to collect throughout the school-year (for example: meeting minutes, session evaluations, communications with teachers, etc.)

APPD Resident Performance Survey

APPDs will provide a written summary of your Resident’s performance based on their interactions and observations of the Resident Principal.

Summative 360 SurveyOnline surveys will be administered to the Resident’s Project Teachers, their students, and select school administrators at the end of the year.

PHASES OF THE TEACHER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Baseline Diagnostic

Target Setting

Implementation Plan

Evidence Collection

Conduct observation to determine where t e a c h e r ’ s g r o w t h area’s and strengths are

Set an ambitious, yet realist ic target for each teacher.

Action plan, including the leadership actions Resident will use to gu ide t eachers to enhance their practice.

A r t i f a c t s w i l l b e c o l l e c t e d t h a t d e m o n s t r a t e e n h a n c e m e n t o f teacher practice.

Target Review Reflection & Next StepsDetermination of whether target goal was met. Reflection on goal setting performance and next

steps.

Mentor Principal Supporting Activities

ACTIVITY SUGGESTED TIMEFRAME

Meeting weekly (at least an hour) with the Resident for in-depth discussion and when possible, schedule daily check-in times with the Resident.

• Ask the Resident to explain thinking and reasoning behind decisions and next steps.• Share with the Resident information, dates, meetings, etc. from the CMO/District.• Periodically review the Resident’s project portfolio and offer feedback and

suggestions.• Review the data from the Resident’s on-going data work and their progress with their

teachers together on a regular basis.• Ask the Resident to show you his/her Monthly, Weekly and/or Daily planning

calendar.

First Semester

Conduct at least three joint teacher observations together (these should be the first observation of the Teacher Improvement Project) First Semester

Observe the Resident conducting the pre- and post-observation conferences. First Semester

Observe the Resident conducting a student conference around discipline and academics. First Semester

Observe the Resident conducting a parent conference. First Semester

Plan with and then observe the Resident conducting a faculty or team meeting. First Semester

Observe the Resident conducting an IEP and/or 504 conference. September through April

Plan with and observe the Resident leading a professional development session. September through April

Provide the Resident with an opportunity to work with you during the budget development process and other budget-related activities. September through April

Provide the Resident with an opportunity to work with you on developing the master schedule for next year or making changes to the current schedule. Second Semester

Provide the Resident with an opportunity to lead a parent group meeting or parent training session. Throughout the Year

Involve the Resident in personnel issues such as: interviewing and hiring, the dismissal process and teacher evaluation.

Throughout the year/Second semester focus on Hiring and Evaluation

Provide the Resident with opportunities to resolve disputes and conflicts among staff. Throughout the year

A Day in the Life of a Mentor Principal and Resident Principal

Overview

Everything that yields results requires planning and quality use of time. A Mentor Principal and a Resident must plan how they will spend their time together to ensure that:

• the Resident is provided opportunities for leadership and learning in all of the roles the principal plays;

• the Resident has time to observe an experienced and skilled principal do the work of the principal;

• the strengths of the Resident are utilized and contribute to the quality of the school;

• adequate time and feedback is provided to allow the Resident to add to his/her core knowledge of school administration and to develop the competencies necessary to be an effective principal;

• time for reflection and feedback for both the Mentor Principal and the Resident is scheduled and done throughout the day as experiences present themselves;

• the Resident is given adequate time to learn and that as competencies are developed that the Resident assumes more responsibilities and independent practice so that he/she experiences the complexity and the demands of the job of principal. In other words, the use of time should change from the beginning of the Resident year to the end of the Resident year. At the beginning, the Resident should do more shadowing and observing while toward the end of the Resident year, the Resident should be more independent while being observed and guided by the Mentor principal, and

• decisions are made early in the Resident year about the responsibilities for which the Resident assume immediately and while other responsibilities are assumed as the year progresses. These decisions will be driven by the strengths the Resident brings to Residency and the context and needs of the school.

A plan of a “typical day” for a Mentor Principal is given as an example of how for Mentor Principals, Residents, and Leadership Coaches can allocate the time for learning, practice, coaching, and reflection. There is no typical day in the day of a principal and there are situations that occur in the course of a day that prevent the best plan from being executed. The plan provided is designed to guide planning and it is not designed to be prescriptive and limiting to either the Mentor Principal or Resident.

Terms used to describe the roles of the Mentor Principal and Resident are: Shadowing (S)—an activity in which the Resident observes and looks for leadership actions demonstrated by the Mentor Principal. These observations become the focus of reflection, discussion and coaching sessions that follow.

Shared Responsibilities (S/R) - an activity in which the Resident and Mentor Principal share the responsibility for planning and providing leadership.

Lead (L) - an activity in which either the Mentor Principal or the Resident takes the “lead” for the activity while the other person observes and looks for leadership actions for reflection, discussion, and coaching.

Independent (I)-an activity in which the Mentor Principal and Resident work independently without direct contact and involvement with each other to complete work that the Resident and Mentor Principal need to do for themselves and the school and that both are totally competent to perform the task

A Day in the Life of the Residency September

TIME ACTIVITY MENTOR PRINCIPAL

RESIDENT PRINCIPAL

7:00AM Arrive for the day with personal preparation such as e-mailing, calendaring, organizing materials I I

7:30AM - 8:15AM

Conduct an Administrative Team MeetingMembers of meeting may include Assistant Principals, secretaries, Business Manager and anyone needing information about school events for the upcoming week to provide administrative support and services.

L S

8:15AM- 9:15AM

Conduct Walk Thru. Monitor the opening of school; greet staff, students, and visitors; ensure facility is safe and ready for operation; identify issues/problems; ensure the facility is ready to provide instruction and to meet the needs of students; ensure principal is visible and accessible for others for climate and safety

L S

9:15AM - 10:00AM

Conduct a meeting with a teacher, counselor, Special Educator Coordinator and Physical Education Teacher to discuss the program for newly enrolled student with an IEP that includes instructional, socio-emotional, and physical goals required as a result of an orthopedic handicapping condition

L S

10:00AM - 11:00AM

Co-Observe a literacy lesson and capture observational data for analysis and for feedback to teacher. Schedule a meeting for the next day for the Mentor Principal and Resident to share their notes and analysis and to plan for the post observation conference with the teacher in which the MP takes the lead and the Resident shadows. Schedule a post observation conference for the teacher in two days.

S/R S/R

11:00AM - 11:45AMManagement Tasks-Complete In basket with mail and organizational documents, return phone calls, respond to district requests, review reports and document such as newsletters, provide signature for documents, etc

L S

11:45AM - 1:00PMMonitor lunch and lunch/recess to ensure adequate supervision is provided, procedures are followed, and support for student behavior is available.MP and Resident reflect in “shoulder to shoulder” conversation.

S/R S/R

1:00PM - 1:30PM Meet with Building Service Manager and District Supervisor of Maintenance to review the status of maintenance requests. L S

1:30PM - 2:30PMMeet with Team of teachers to discuss the implementation of Interim assessments and a process of implementing data driven decision making for the improvement of instruction.

S L

2:30PM - 2:50PM Prepare for afternoon announcements by organizing items provided by secretary and all faculties. L S

2:50PM - 3:00PM Make afternoon intercom announcements. L S

3:00PM - 3:30PMMonitor Dismissal. Assure safety and security procedures are followed; meet and greet students, staff, and visitors; provide visibility of the principal for safety and climate.

S/R S/R

3:30PM - 4:00PMMeet with Professional Development Planning Team. Assure all members are on track with responsibilities in preparation for the half-day in-service training scheduled in two weeks.

L S

4:30PM - 6:00PM Conduct re-entry conference with student and parent related to students’ three day suspension. L S

6:00PM - 7:00PM Dinner, Reflections, and Feedback with MP and Resident S/R S/R

7:00PM - 7:30PM Complete personal Phone Calls. I I

7:30PM - 9:00PM Conduct and/or participate in evening activity such as Principal’s Coffee, athletic or cultural event, PTA, Curriculum Meeting, etc. L S

9:00PM - 9:30PM Complete paper work, calendaring, preparing for next day, follow up from this day. I I

A Day in the Life of the ResidencyApril

TIME ACTIVITY MENTOR PRINCIPAL

RESIDENT PRINCIPAL

7:00AM - 7:30AM Arrive for the day with personal preparation such as e-mailing, calendaring, organizing materials. I I

7:30AM - 8:15AMConduct a Leadership Team Meeting to update status of progress with current School Improvement Plan (SIP) and to plan process for developing the SIP for the next year.

S/R S/R

8:15AM - 9:15AM

Conduct Walk Thru. Monitor the opening of school; greet staff, students, and visitors; ensure facility is safe and ready for operation; identify issues/problems for solutions; ensure facility is ready to provide instruction; meet the needs of students; ensure principal is visible and accessible for others for safety and climate.

I I

9:15AM - 10:00AMConduct a meeting with Business Manager to review the status of current accounts, to make decisions to encumber remaining funds for the fiscal year, and to begin planning the school budget for the next year.

S/R S/R

10:00AM - 10:45AM Meet with Testing Coordinator to plan orientation and professional development for teachers for the administration and security procedures for upcoming district testing.

S L

10:45AM - 11:30AMConduct a Teacher Evaluation ConferenceResident and MP reflect after teacher leaves the conference on the quality of the conference, the performance of the Resident, and what was learned.

S L

11:30AM - 11:45AM Conduct Fire drill; monitor procedures; give feedback to staff and students on procedures. S L

11:45AM - 1:00PMMonitor lunch and lunch/recess to ensure adequate supervision is provided, procedures are followed, and support for student behavior is available. Resident and MP reflect in “shoulder to shoulder” conversation.

S/R S/R

1:00PM - 1:30PM Conduct support Staff Evaluation Conference. MP and Resident agree to conducts these independently and to reflect on their individual experiences together later in the day.

I I

1:30PM - 2:30PMMeet with Team level to review data generated from Interim Assessments and to plan for re-teaching. MP and Resident are meeting with different teams and agree to reflect later about individual experiences and progress.

I I

2:30PM - 2:50PM Meet with student having discipline issues. Reflection on individual experiences including in evening reflection. I I

2:30PM - 3:00PM Make afternoon intercom announcements. S L

3:00PM - 3:30PMMonitor dismissal procedures; Assure safety and security procedures are followed; Meet and greet students, staff, and visitors; provide visibility of the principal for safety and climate.

S/R S/R

3:30PM - 4:15PM Conduct orientation for teachers about administration and security procedures for the administration of upcoming district assessments. S L

4:15PM - 4:45PMManagement Tasks- Complete In basket with mail and organizational documents; return phone calls, respond to district requests, review reports and document such as newsletters, provide signature for documents

I I

4:45PM - 5:45PM Dinner , Reflection, and Feedback with Resident and MP S/R S/R

5:45PM - 6:00PM Travel Time S/R S/R

6:00PM - 7:30PM Attend required district Administrators’ meeting. S/R S/R

7:30PM - 8:30PM Dessert and coffee with principal colleagues I I

8:30PM Depart for the day I I

8:30PM - 9:00PM Complete paper work, calendaring, preparing for next day, follow up from this day. I I