Sheldon ISD Offers Academy to Find Leaders of the Future

Sheldon ISD is a medium-sized district with big plans for the future. Just northeast of Houston, the 5,800-student district is the fastest growing in Harris County. Sheldon will add a campus a year for the next seven years, replicating its current size by 2014.

District leaders recognize the need to find the administrators of the future for those campuses and have started a new training venture to show their young, energetic teachers and staff members the district’s “bigger picture.” They hope that some of those educators will be inspired by what they learn and want to pursue jobs as campus administrators in the district.

Most Texas districts can find certified applicants for principal and assistant principal jobs. Finding truly qualified candidates to fill those positions is another thing. When an administrator finds a good principal candidate from another district, that person has the added challenge of learning how the district operates from top to bottom.

Since 1998, the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) has surveyed districts on whether they have an “aspiring principal program” to recruit and prepare teachers and other district staff for campus administration jobs. In 1998, 30 percent of responding districts reported having such programs in place. By 2006, 43 percent said that they had programs.

The programs run the gamut from very simple to very involved but the bottom line is clear: human resource administrators and other top-level administrators are becoming more intentional about their efforts to find the leaders they’ll need to staff campuses in the future.

Finding leaders

Last year, Sheldon notified all employees of the first Leadership Academy training via electronic mail. Anyone with a minimum of three years of teaching experience could apply.

Anyone who wanted to be considered had to submit an up-to-date resume and a three- to five-slide computer presentation offering their views on the traits of an effective leader. All applicants were told up front that they would be required to attend all training sessions and complete class assignments and projects, including staffing their campus’ table at the district’s job fair. They also had to be enrolled in a principal preparation program or be ready to get started.

Staff members with aspirations of becoming administrators applied on their own. Principals helped by encouraging teachers with leadership potential to apply, and the district wound up with a pool of 40 applicants from which to choose.

District leaders and principals screened all the applications and principal recommendations were used to make the final selections: 20 staff members representing all seven of the district’s campuses. Fourteen of the district’s assistant principals heard about the training and wanted the chance to show that they were ready to take on the challenge of being principals, so they were included in the first class.

Training sessions began in February. Every two to three weeks, participants gathered after school for a three-hour session covering things the district wants prospective principals to know. The organizers and primary trainers were Marna Harper, Sheldon’s director of human resources, and Deb Carruthers, the district’s director of instructional technology.

The fact that participants were putting in long days was not lost on Harper and Carruthers. They strove to make training nights fun for participants, choosing themes for each session based on the training to come. They also provided dinner and music or movie clips to set the tone for the evening’s events.

Building for the future

“This is an opportunity for folks who might be interested in administrative jobs to see what those jobs involve,” Harper said. In that spirit, the journey began. Some early sessions focused on giving the group a feel for the district’s “big picture.”

First, participants got an in-depth look at the work of some central-office departments—student services, transportation, child nutrition, ESL/bilingual services, and public relations—to get a better understanding of their work within the district.

Another session took participants on the road. They engaged in a district scavenger hunt, visiting campuses to search for clues and answer questions about the district’s history. They also got a glimpse of the growth in the area and the construction sites for future schools. Still another session, Budget 101, provided some nuts and bolts information on campus budgets.

Honing skills

Most session activities focused on the personal and professional development participants would need to get a principal job in the district.

Participants reviewed the slide presentations they prepared before the training. The critiqued each other’s work on the presentations in an early session. Each person was expected to revise their presentation on their own time using the feedback they received.

Following a session on resumé writing, participants took a second look at the resumé they prepared before the academy started. Again, they critiqued each other’s work and were expected to make changes using the feedback they received.

A relevant resumé and professional presentation might get a candidate an interview. But if a candidate struggles in the interview itself, all that effort goes to waste. Harper and Carruthers put participants through their paces to prepare them for future interviews, but not without having a little fun in the process.

Participants observed and critiqued good and bad interviews. The bad interview featured the district’s superintendent who wore an orange jacket, a Hawaiian shirt, flip flops in lieu of shoes, and an earring. His answers to interview questions were as offbeat as his attire. At a later session, participants observed a principal demonstrate the “right” way to interview. She was professionally dressed and gave detailed, researched answers to the questions she was asked.

Participants learned how to provide researched answers in interviews themselves when the training centered on the analysis of Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) results. A district administrator showed the group how to analyze a school’s AEIS data so they would be able to recommend improvements that truly speak to a school’s learning needs.

Actual interview practice was the next step. Close to the end of the academy training, participants sat for mock interviews with committees made up of the assistant principals taking part in the training. The interviews were recorded on DVDs for their review and the interviewers offered feedback on each participant’s performance. 

Making it personal

Harper and Carruthers also helped participants focus on their personal style. In a session midway through the training, they brought in consultants to show candidates how to dress to be perceived as a leader in the interview and beyond. Participants also went through training to help them understand their personalities and work styles.

At the same session, participants got acquainted with some of the folks they might work with in the future: central office administrators and campus principals. They appreciated the chance to network with them and learn what they do. “We were fortunate to be able to talk to a lot of district administrators and directors and ask questions…At the district level, you really get some perspective about the district’s goals,” said Jessica Trice. Trice is the science lab instructor at Sheldon Elementary and is currently taking principal preparation classes.

One of the most important assignments participants were given was to find an administrator from a campus other than their own to “shadow” for a day. Participants made the necessary arrangements to complete that assignment at this session and did their visits within about a month. Helping candidates see that things operate a bit differently from campus to campus was part of the goal. “A lot of it was just giving them the chance to be in a different realm and atmosphere,” Harper said.

The “shadow” experience was a hit with participants as well as campus administrators. “The administrators they shadowed enjoyed talking about the similarities and differences of campuses and liked being the one that explained something to (the participant) for the first time,” Harper said.

Reaping the rewards

The district already has one success story to report. Becky Zalesnik, a 17-year teaching veteran, is now the 7th-grade assistant principal at C.E. King Middle School. She was one of eight candidates interviewed for the job and, according to Harper, was by far the most prepared. “That was a pat on the back because we felt like we gave her the tools to be successful in the process,” Harper said.

Zalesnik became interested in being an administrator after mentoring new teachers. “I could see how much help they needed and knew how much I could give them but I didn’t have the time, with my teaching schedule,” Zalesnik said. “I wanted them to enjoy (teaching) as much as I did and want to stay.”

Zalesnik credits the training for helping her “think like an administrator…we worked on getting into the frame of mind of an administrator and how to deal with the overwhelming amount of responsibilities.”

Not only did the training change the way Zalesnik would think about problems, it changed her view of Sheldon ISD. “I appreciate what (district administrators) do a lot more than I ever did before. From the massive budgets to the parent involvement, I do appreciate the importance of it much more,” Zalesnik said.

Trice already sees the difference the training has made. “It’s a very beneficial program for people who are hoping to go into administration. I’ve seen a difference in the roles of people who’ve gone through…they’re stepping up and taking more of a leadership role on their campuses.”