Reginald Fisher
When Steve Siebenaler took over as principal of Waltrip High School in 2003, he was faced with a daunting, but familiar challenge: a low-performing, urban campus, plagued by racial tensions, apathy and frustration.
"I was told, 'Fix it,' and handed the keys to the school. We've been in reform mode ever since."
The hard lessons Siebenaler was forced to learn on-the-job – how to build a shared vision, cultivate teacher leaders, and transform a toxic culture into one that elevates student learning – he now uses to mentor Reginald Fisher over an intensive, year-long internship through Houston A+ Challenge's Regional Principal Leadership Academy.
As one of 19 aspiring principals selected from more than 230 applicants, Fisher says his "whole perspective has been expanded" through the Academy, which launched in June 2008.
"The principal sets the whole tone for the school," he says. "Whatever values he holds, the school holds. If he values instruction, that’s what’s going to get done."
Sixty-nine percent of principals and 80 percent of superintendents believe that traditional principal training programs are out of touch with current realities of the job, according to a recent Public Agenda survey.
Houston A+ Challenge's academy is modeled on high-quality preparation programs nationwide, featuring a highly selective recruitment and selection process, a hands-on internship and active learning projects, and a cohort of peers who develop a supportive learning community.
After four days on campus with Siebenaler, Fisher spends a day of reflection, analysis, scenario-building, cross-site school visits and continued learning with his peers and Houston A+ Challenge faculty. The coaching and network support for principal interns will continue through A+ for at least two years, as they become leaders in their own schools.
"This is a new generation of leaders," Fisher says. "We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. It's only after gaining this perspective that we can do something different."
THE BIG PICTURE
An estimated 160 principal vacancies need to be filled annually across the Houston region, and more than one-fourth of principal positions turn over each year in some districts.
Teacher turnover increases with principal turnover, and these rates are highest at high-poverty secondary schools. Such instability has a direct and negative impact on student performance.
At full capacity in 2012, Houston A+ Challenge's Regional Principal Leadership Academy will provide high-quality training and support for upward of 160 new and aspiring principals annually, supporting partner school districts, which include Aldine, Houston, Humble, Spring Branch and YES Prep Public Schools.
The story below is one of three profiles contained in Houston A+ Challenge's 2008 Annual Report. To download a complete copy of the report, click here.
