Long gone are the days when a principal’s primary responsibility is to focus on managerial aspects of leading a school.

Today, a principal’s role has dramatically expanded into areas including innovation, entrepreneurship and instruction. Principals are charged with developing human potential and cultivating success.

Recent research done by the Wallace Foundation around effective leadership identified five key practices that such leaders perform consistently well:

• Shaping a vision of academic success for all students
• Creating climate hospitable to education
• Cultivating leadership in others
• Improving instruction
• Managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement

The dynamic nature of schools ensures that these key practices do not function in isolation but are part of a complex set of variables that a principal must continuously balance on a daily basis. As you can imagine, this is not an easy task. However, it can be very challenging and rewarding.

This new nature of principal’s role requires a different set of leadership knowledge and skills. For the last 10 years, HCDE has developed and led a principal preparation program that allows aspiring administrators to acquire, develop, hone, and practice a unique skill set centered around these key practices.

To learn more about HCDE Principal Certification Academy and how you can be a part of the next cohort, attend one of our information sessions on April 16 or April 27, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Register to attend either session at wms.hcde-texas.org or call 713-696-0775.

About the blogger:
Lidia G. Zatopek is director of Alternative Certification and the Principal Certification Academy at HCDE. She has 25 years experience in education serving as teacher, assistant principal, principal and administrator. In her former career, she attempted to juggle four languages as an interpreter/linguist. Becoming an educator made her realize education has a language of its own, adding another juggling ball. In her leisure time and while not contemplating running marathons, she enjoys reading anything and everything about science and medicine.