University of Richmond leadership program for public school administrators enters fourth year with 50 educators enrolled
October 16, 2008
Fifty-one assistant principals and educators in the Richmond area are returning to school this fall to learn lessons in leadership.
As students of the University of Richmond's Next Generation Leadership Academy, the administrators will learn theories and applications of leadership qualities to enhance their career development. The program is offered through EduLead, an educational leadership training partnership between the university and Virginia Commonwealth University.
In its fourth year, the program began Oct. 8 with a keynote address by Jo Lynne DeMary, former state superintendent for public instruction and current director of the Center for School Improvement at VCU. The nine-month curriculum includes six theoretical sessions taught by leadership scholars, six theoretical sessions taught by administrators at the participating schools, mentor sessions with colleagues, a case study and a book discussion with a national scholar.
Students attend one class each month from November through April, with the book discussion and commencement taking place in June. Leadership theory topics include: defining leadership, group dynamics, ethics, leading change for organizational alignment, leading and communicating, and understanding stereotypes and promoting inclusiveness.
"The NGLA is proven to help school leaders understand what leadership is and how best to motivate themselves for creating change in themselves and their schools," said Tom Shields, director of Center for Leadership in Education at University of Richmond.