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Research Roundup School Session

“The Making of the Principal: Five Lessons in Leadership Training” by the Wallace Foundation

School Session – With 2012-13 school year planning beginning or underway, we wanted to pass along this very intriguing report recently issued by The Wallace Foundation about the importance of leadership training for school Principals. 

Excerpt from the Executive Summary . . .

“Experience and new research suggest that heeding the following five lessons could help propel many more districts toward the goal of having strong leadership in every school:

1. A more selective, probing process for choosing candidates for training is the essential first step in creating a more capable and diverse corps of future principals.

2. Aspiring principals need pre-service training that prepares them to lead improved instruction and school change, not just manage buildings.

3. Districts should do more to exercise their power to raise the quality of principal training, so that graduates better meet their needs.

4. States could make better use of their power to influence the quality of leadership training through standard-setting, program accreditation, principal certification and financial support for highly qualified candidates.

5. Especially in their first years on the job, principals need high-quality mentoring and professional development tailored to individual and district needs.”

The full report is available here and on The Wallace Foundation website.

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Research Roundup

The EDGE – a path to STEM?

Research Roundup – We attended the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Education Summit yesterday and heard fascinating remarks from area experts about the future of education in the county and throughout Northern Virginia.  We, of course, strive to keep our programs relevant to the changing needs of our participants – from school-age youth to adult professionals.  The current buzzwords are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education and “empowering the knowledge economy,” which might make you think of white lab coats in computer-filled rooms – the complete opposite of what The EDGE programs are about.  However, research shows that outdoor education can increase diversity participation in the STEM sector:  http://www.education.com/reference/article/outdoor-education-science-math-diverse/?page=2.  We take pride in offering experiences that foster a life-long interest in science and discovery.  Is there anything more we should be doing to enhance our programming to make it more STEM-friendly?  We’d love to hear your comments.