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University of Richmond-Virginia Commonwealth University EduLead program awarded contract from Louisiana Department of Education

December 19, 2007

EduLead, a partnership program between University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University to improve K-12 school leadership, instruction and student achievement, has been awarded a $273,486 contract from the Louisiana Department of Education. The funds will be used to lead the design and development of a leadership program for the Louisiana School Turnaround Specialist Program (LSTS).

LSTS is a development program to turn around the state's lowest performing public schools. Principals for these schools strengthen leadership skills and develop effective tools and strategies to accelerate improvement in the schools. EduLead will create a blueprint for the development of LSTS, including the application of successful business strategies to education, and LSTS will implement the program based on these recommendations.

Research indicates school principals need sustained support from state and local governments, the business community, and the parents and students during and after the turnaround period. EduLead applies principles followed by leaders in the corporate world to turn around ailing businesses with the idea that these same tools can be used to improve ailing schools.

The program for LSTS will be modeled after the University of Virginia Darden-Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education/Virginia School Turnaround Specialist Program, developed by Tierney Temple Fairchild when she was executive director of the partnership and Jo Lynne DeMary when she was state superintendent of public instruction in Virginia.

A vital strategy of the turnaround program is the possibility that a Louisiana university would be selected to offer an executive education program that would feature a partnership between the institution's business and education schools.

Thomas J. Shields, director of the Center for Leadership Education at the University of Richmond, DeMary and Fairchild are the consulting team for the project with experience in regional and system-wide educational reform, and experience in applying executive leadership practices in education.

EduLead was originally created to address requests for more programs on school leadership development for public school systems in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties and the City of Richmond.