Guest post from LaVerne Srinivasan, President, New Leaders for New Schools; SMHC Task Force Member; and Presenter at First SMHC Task Force meeting.
Since its inception in 2000, New Leaders for New Schools has attracted, prepared, and supported outstanding individuals to become the next generation of school leaders in response to the immense need for exceptional principals in our nation’s urban public schools.
We began with a first cohort of 15 individuals in New York City and Chicago in 2001. Since then, we have built a national community of more than 560 outstanding school leaders in 9 urban centers, including California’s Bay Area, Baltimore, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York City, Prince George’s County, MD, and Washington, D.C.
New Leaders’ program model is premised on the belief that strong school leadership is a critical component of success, and our definition of success (and ultimate accountability) is defined as student achievement outcomes where 90+ percentage of students in a school are reaching proficiency and are prepared for college, careers, and citizenship.
New Leaders recruits and trains passionate, results-focused current and former educators who have: an unyielding belief that every child can achieve at high levels, instructional expertise in a K-12 classroom, and exceptional leadership skills. Just seven percent of New Leaders applicants are selected; they serve in year-long residencies in urban public schools before receiving placement support as principals in their own schools. New Leaders principals and their schools then receive ongoing support from our staff and the broader New Leaders community as they work toward the goal of high academic achievement for every student.
NInety-three percent of our New Leaders have held school leadership positions, including 71% as principals and 22% as assistant principals. Such placement rates are considered extraordinarily high by professionals in the field.
New Leaders serve a range of school contexts, from district to charter, start-up to traditional, elementary to high school. Roughly three-quarters serve traditional district schools, and one-quarter serve public charter schools. New Leaders serve similar grade levels as our partner districts’ schools, with nearly half serving elementary or K-8 schools, 32% serving middle schools, and 23% serving high schools.
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