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:
- Our New Visions in Leadership Academy is a two-year program aimed at developing the leadership skills of school principals and vice principals. These school leaders are coached to create and lead professional learning communities in their schools. More than 200 Houston-area leaders have graduated from New Visions since 1999.
- We train Critical Friends Group coaches to form and facilitate their own, campus-based small groups that are dedicated to ongoing professional development. CFGs meet regularly to deepen participants' knowledge of academic subject matter, examine their teaching practices and consider issues of whole-school change.
- Our pilot National Board Certified Teacher Candidacy Program
is the Houston area’s first
comprehensive training
for teacher leaders working as a cohort toward this nationally recognized certification.
The program recruits middle and high school teachers from the content areas of greatest need – science and mathematics.
- As part of our Regional Senior Fellows network, central office administrators from across the Houston area meet regularly national school reform expert Dr. Mary Newman, former director of leadership for the Annenberg Institute.
In addition, Houston A+ provides numerous opportunities to promote leadership through public forums and funding opportunities:
