Preparing Turnaround Principals via Race-to-the-Top Initiative: Lessons Learned from Regional Leadership Academies

Abstract

Great schools need great leaders! In fact, according to recent research by Seashore Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom and Anderson (2010), “To date we have not found a single case of a school improving its student achievement record in the absence of talented leadership (p.9).” As such, North Carolina’s Race-to-the-Top (RttT) grant earmarked approximately $17.5 million to “increase the number of principals qualified to lead transformational change in low-performing schools in both rural and urban areas” (NCDPI, 2010, p.10). To accomplish this, the state established three Regional Leadership Academies (RLAs) “approved for certifying principals [and] designed to . . . provide a new model for the preparation, early career support, and continuous professional development of school leaders” (NCDPI, 2010, p.10). This article describes the independent evaluation of this initiative including the recruitment, selection, training, placement, and expenditure processes associated with each of the three academies.

Keywods: Principal Preparation, Turnaround Principals, Race-to-the-Top Initiative, Alternative Licensure Programs, Evaluation