Georgia’s top educational departments are teaming up with one of the state’s largest school districts to offer training and one-on-one coaching to up and coming school leaders.
Gov. Brian Kemp Friday announced a new partnership between the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), and Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). They will work together to offer leadership training through the Governor’s School Leadership Academy (GSLA).
“Strong, effective leadership is key to transforming Georgia’s struggling schools and equipping our students with the right tools to ensure their future success in life,” said Gov. Kemp. “I wholeheartedly support this partnership to provide high-caliber training and leadership skills to current and aspiring school principals.”
GLSA was launched in 2018 with a goal of strengthening leadership capacity – and the principal pipeline – in underperforming schools across Georgia. It is designed to support school leaders working to achieve positive, transformational school-level change.
The program last for a year, and during that time, the cohort of participants receive in-depth leadership training and support through a combination of in-person meetings, coaching and mentorship from a former Georgia principal, and opportunities to network with fellow principals who are also working to transform their schools.
Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, GaDOE will join GOSA and Gwinnett Public Schools as a collaborative partner to continue the work of the Governor’s School Leadership Academy. A new cohort of principals will be selected from schools identified for support by the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of School Improvement.
This partnership will allow an expansion of the one-on-one support provided through GSLA. Each participant will work with their assigned GaDOE School Improvement Specialist to implement and apply the lessons learned in face-to-face sessions at their own schools. The partnership between GOSA and GaDOE will allow for expansion of GSLA to serve three (3) regional cohorts of 20 to 30 sitting principals, compared to 26 principals statewide in the 2018-2019 year, along with a cohort of approximately 50 aspiring principals throughout the state.
“To turn around an underperforming school, we know leadership is absolutely the cornerstone of anything you are going to be able to accomplish,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “What a school is able to offer its students has a ceiling, and that ceiling is leadership. The Governor’s School Leadership Academy allows us to work directly to improve the capacity of principals and aspiring principals in our state, ultimately to the benefit of students. I appreciate the opportunity to partner with Governor Kemp, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, and Gwinnett County Public Schools – which have pioneered this work – to make this opportunity a reality for Georgia school leaders.”
According to officials, the Governor’s School Leadership Academy is based on a model that was developed and championed by Gwinnett County Public Schools.
“Leadership matters, plain and simple,” says GCPS CEO and Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks. “Every school needs and deserves an effective principal who can shape a vision of academic success for all students and ensure there is quality instruction in every classroom. To that end, the Governor’s School Leadership Academy can be a powerful force in addressing this critical need in our state. Based on the evidence regarding the performance of the academy Gwinnett began twelve years ago, I am confident the GSLA will positively impact school leader effectiveness across the state. We look forward to working with GaDOE and GOSA on this initiative so vital to Georgia’s success.”
