More than one million children – nearly a quarter of all students in Texas – attend public schools in the Houston metropolitan region. Nothing will impact the academic and lifelong success of these students more than the quality of their classroom teachers, the strength of their principals as instructional leaders, and the stability of their schools.
Candidate Information
The deadline to apply for the 2008-09 cohort has passed.
We will begin accepting applications for the 2009-10 cohort in the fall.
If you have any questions, please send us an e-mail or call
(713) 658-1881.
Selection Process and Timeline |
Unfortunately, an estimated 160 principal vacancies need to be filled annually across the Houston region, and more than one-fourth of all principal positions turn over each year in some districts. Teacher turnover increases with principal turnover, and these rates are highest at secondary schools in which more than 50 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged. Turnover is expected to increase as many current school leaders approach retirement age.
To help schools and districts address these issues, Houston A+ Challenge has created a new academy to recruit, prepare and support aspiring principals to provide strong instructional leadership for the Houston region’s most challenged middle and high schools.
In spring 2008, nearly 250 individuals applied to join our first cohort. From this pool of candidates, Houston A+ Challenge selected 21 highly motivated, highly qualified individuals to join the Academy.
The three-year Academy experience begins with an intensive six-week summer program, followed by a yearlong internship at a public school under the tutelage of a mentor principal and an Academy coach. Successful interns will be placed as leaders at area secondary schools, and receive two years of continued coaching and professional development for themselves and their campus leadership teams.
More information for potential candidates is located here.
Successful candidates will have a track record of success in the classroom, a passion for social justice, and an entrepreneurial conviction to help turn around local urban secondary schools that are currently low-performing, suffer from frequent turnover, and serve a majority of low-income students.
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