When Muhammad Ali, hailed as the greatest professional boxing champion of all time, lit the torch at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, it represented countries coming together despite all odds for a chance to win gold. This week, a select group of Harris County principals found themselves in a similar situation—no matter their schools’ grading, years of service or educational background, they are competing for the gold in leadership.  

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Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Educator Success (CES) welcomed the cohort to the Adult Education Learning Center on Oct. 22 to watch the torch lighting ceremony and launch its Lead Strong Academy, a nine-month professional development journey designed to strengthen school leadership and empower educators to reach new heights. The Olympic-themed event set the stage for principals to recognize their responsibility to carry the torch at their respective campuses and lead the way to success for their educators, students and families.  

Building off more than 30 years of experience in administration, Dr. Cleotis Wadley, CES’s new leadership development officer, designed an engaging, research-based curriculum for the program. He collaborated with local districts to recruit top candidates and shape a learning experience that challenges principals to refine their skills, reflect on their leadership and grow together as a community of learners.  

“Olympians are the best of the best,” Wadley explained. “These principals are not in this program because they’re not good; no, they represent the cream of their district. They’re Olympians, and that’s how I want them to feel throughout this process. We are here to help them make the next breakthrough in their leadership journey.”  

Aisha Johnson is one of six campus leaders representing Alief, Aldine and Sheldon independent school districts. Within the Lead Strong Academy, they will follow a four-pronged curriculum centered on developing school climate and culture, strengthening instructional practices, investing in staff growth and fostering family and community engagement.  

“I feel very excited to be here and also a little privileged because they could have chosen anyone within Alief leadership,” Johnson said. “I plan on being a sponge and just want to learn everything.” 

Now entering her third year as principal at Mahanay Elementary School, Johnson looks forward to gaining new insights that improve instructional learning on campus. The school has experienced an increase in teacher retirements, and an influx of first-year educators or those enrolled in an alternative-certification program who are still learning to lead classrooms.  

“We’re having to start at ground zero with many of our teachers while trying to maintain the level of instruction that was in place with our veteran educators,” Johnson said. “It’s been challenging to figure out how to support those teachers and ensure our students get what they need.” 

Traditionally, campus leaders communicate instructional corrections to educators through email or submitted forms, but Wadley’s curriculum will equip principals with tools and strategies to provide immediate, hands-on feedback. Johnson described her excitement for the lesson, as she, too, is guilty of this practice.  

“Sometimes you operate how you were trained,” she explained. “As a new principal, I’m emulating what I learned from my predecessor, put the feedback in the mailbox or on their desk, and that was it.”    

Added Wadley: “We have to move away from this practice because the teacher may not get to the feedback until a day or two later. We’ve lost so much time and caused instructional harm because that teacher repeated that same mistake until they read that message.” 

The academy is not just for newcomers. Duaine Harris, the only male in the cohort, brings 15 years of principalship experience and has witnessed the declining interest in joining education. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the field has lost more than 250,000 educators, causing a national teacher shortage.  

“We have to be able to grow and develop the people we have on our campuses and show them that education is a worthwhile career,” Wadley said. “They have to say, ‘I want to be an assistant principal or principal because he or she does it so well, and I can see my growth potential.’” 

Harris is on a mission to invest in his male educators at Michael R. Null Middle School in Sheldon ISD and has already identified several people with the potential to become campus leaders. He hopes the Lead Strong Academy will teach him to delegate tasks and establish goals with educators to help them reach the next level in their careers.  

“As a principal, I can’t do everything myself, but I can entrust some of my staff with tasks and leadership opportunities to get their feet wet,” Harris said. “I think that’s a good first step to get them growing in their craft, because to get into principalship, you have to start doing some of the work before you get the job.” 

The cohort will meet monthly for half-days with Wadley to combine research-based instruction with collaborative reflection. Principals will also rotate through one another’s campuses to observe firsthand how peers manage their schools and implement learned strategies.  

Like Olympians striving for excellence, the Lead Strong principals have committed to continual growth and perseverance. They will take their newfound knowledge and carry the torch of leadership forward to model collaboration, resilience and purpose that inspire their teams and strengthen the communities they serve.  

“I believe this type of professional development is why I’m in education. I want to help educators grow into their best selves,” said Wadley. “Principalship is hard, but this cohort is not doing it for money or glory. They are here because they care about students and want to be lifelong learners.”