Leadership
Houston A+ Challenge is dedicated to helping teachers and school administrators transform into more effective leaders to help guide their schools toward success. We do this in a number of different ways.
The most salient means toward leadership is intensive training:
For All Educators
Since 1997, we have trained more than 900 Critical Friends Group coaches to form and facilitate their own, campus-based small groups that are dedicated to ongoing professional development. Using CFG protocols, groups of educators meet regularly to deepen their content knowledge, examine their teaching practices and plan for whole-school change.
For Aspiring Principals
Our Regional Principal Leadership Academy has recruited, prepared and supported over 40 aspiring principals as they provide strong instructional leadership for the Houston region’s most challenged middle and high schools. The rigorous, three-year experience begins with an intensive summer session and a yearlong internship with a mentor principal in a local public secondary school.For Current Principals and APs
More than 200 Houston-area leaders have graduated from our New Visions in Leadership Academy since 1999. Through a part-time, two-year program these school leaders are coached to develop their own leadership skills, and to create and lead professional learning communities in their schools.For Teacher Leaders
Our National Board Certified Teacher Candidacy Program was the Houston area’s first comprehensive training for teacher leaders working as a cohort toward this nationally recognized certification. The program recruited middle and high school teachers from the content areas of greatest need – science and mathematics.For Senior Leaders
As part of our Executive Leadership Council, senior-level district leaders from across the Houston area meet regularly to review case studies and share best practices for supporting instructional leadership at the campus level. The group is facilitated by national school reform expert Dr. Mary Neuman, former director of leadership for the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
In addition, Houston A+ has provided numerous opportunities to promote leadership through public forums and grant opportunities:
- The National Speakers Series brings renowned researchers from across the country to Houston, where our local educators can learn about the latest developments in education.
- From 1997 to 2008, the Reforming Schools Summer Institute provided a dynamic local conference where Houston teachers, school leaders and community members learned about national and global trends in education.
- Critical Friends Group as Research Team grants have enabled educators to conduct a wide variety of research inquiries about their teaching practices and make their research public
