University of Richmond Begins Third Year of Leadership Education for Local School Administrators

October 4, 2006

University of Richmond’s Center for Leadership in Education will kick off a third year of providing leadership education to local school administrators with a luncheon Oct. 5 featuring JoLynne DeMary, state superintendent of public instruction under former Gov. Mark Warner. DeMary, who now heads the Center for School Improvement at Virginia Commonwealth University, will speak on “Make a Difference: Lead.”

Fifty-six assistant principals from Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfield and City of Richmond public school districts are enrolled in the nine-month “Next Generation Leadership Academy,” which will include six more sessions ending in June.

Tom Shields, director of the center, said “the school districts were so impressed with last year’s program that they decided to continue with it this year.”

Subsequent sessions will feature university faculty and outside speakers on such topics as group dynamics and leadership, ethics and leadership, equity and race in schools, and communication and leadership. Participants will spend the mornings hearing faculty presentations and then meet in the afternoons to discuss how to apply those lessons to their school districts.

The center is a partnership between the Jepson School of Leadership Studies and the School of Continuing Studies.

“The academy is integral to developing educational administrators who can take on future leadership roles,” said Shields. “The school districts are looking for this type of program to help them prepare for smooth succession within their schools.”