Application and Selection

Houston A+ Challenge's Regional Principal Leadership Academy provides a rigorous, 14-month, practicum-based training and support system for individuals who want to provide instructional leadership for the Houston region's most challenged urban middle and high schools.

A competitive candidate selection process for our third cohort is now underway; a maximum of 25 aspiring principals will begin the program in June 2010.

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Successful candidates must have a track record of success with students and adults, a passion for social justice, and an entrepreneurial conviction to help turn around local urban middle and high schools that are currently low-performing, suffer from frequent turnover, and serve a majority of low-income students.

Successful candidates will also possess the following essential qualities:

• Effective communicator – empathetic with good people skills
• Reflective – results-oriented and analytical, with a track record of success
• Knowledgeable – resourceful and eager to learn, with a strong background in instruction
• Leader – motivated by the development of others
• Passionate – inspiring, with a "whatever it takes" attitude

Academy participants are full-time employees of their host districts, which provide salary and benefits.

Position Type: Full-time
Positions Available: 25 maximum
Candidate Prerequisites: A minimum of three years of successful teaching experience. Masters degree preferred. Citizenship, residency or work VISA in United States required.

Continue reading our Frequently Asked Questions for candidates.

Application and Selection Timeline, 2010-11

Round 1
Online applications -- which require employment and education information, three professional references and three essays (each 500 words maximum) -- are screened by Academy staff on a rolling basis through the application deadline, 5 p.m. CST on February 26, 2010.

Round 2: Phone Interview
Applicants selected to advance to Round 2 will be invited to participate in phone interviews on a rolling basis in early 2010. Houston A+ Challenge will contact applicants directly to schedule appointments.

Round 3: In-Person Interview
Applicants selected to advance to Round 3 will be invited to in-person interviews in Houston with Academy selection committee members on a rolling basis. Houston A+ Challenge will contact applicants directly to schedule meeting dates and times.

Final Selection Weekend
Top candidates will be invited to participate in Final Selection Weekend, held April 9-10, 2010, in Houston, which consists of hands-on activities with other applicants. Academy faculty and principals from partner districts serve as evaluators.

All applicants will be notified of their final admission status by early May 2010.

The six-week summer intensive begins June 7, 2010, and full-time Action Internships in Houston-area public schools begin in August 2010 .