Leadership Academy supports new principals

Rookie principals in Wyoming school districts now have a welcoming network offering support and information to help them navigate the early years of their administrative careers.

The Wyoming Leadership Academy (WLA) links new administrators into a supportive peer network, facilitates matches with mentors, and offers programs that address critical concerns.

“The purpose is to provide the supports necessary to first- and second- year principals and assistant principals in Wyoming school districts so that they will be successful in the role of principall,” according to Robin Dexter, assistant professor of educational leadership.

Dexter, Bill Berube (professor of educational leadership) and Mike Klopfenstein (assistant superintendent of instruction, Laramie County School District 1) launched the WLA in August, following development of a successful model designed to support new administrators in the Laramie County 1 school district.

Participation in the WLA is fluid; individuals can join the network at any time. To date, 54 new first and second year administrators have been identified and included in the WLA network. Most have attended one or both of the initial meetings, held in Laramie and Casper in August and September.

Educational programs are scheduled at various conferences and meetings held around the state, such as the semi-annual Wyoming School Improvement Conference. While minutes and program notes are shared electronically and contacts with mentors often occur via phone or e-mail, early WLA members requested face-to-face meetings.

“We really felt that people needed to come together, break bread together, and experience the power of building a professional network of resources in a face-to face format,” Dexter says. In fact, WLA members themselves requested the in-person sessions.

Providing informal opportunities to develop supportive connections are particularly important early in members’ careers.

“They’re excited but worried,” Dexter says of new principals and assistant principals. “They just need somebody to share that, without the fear of appearing that they don’t know anything if they ask the questions.”

The typical WLA meeting follows the facilitative leadership model. Following a welcome and dinner, participants hear a brief presentation on a topic of interest, break into small groups to discuss some aspect of that issue, then report back to the larger group. Each session closes with an evaluation of the program and recommendations from the group regarding topics they would like to cover the next time they convene.

Gaining group consensus on program directions ensures that each session addresses participant concerns, according to Dexter. Early topics have included meeting facilitation and evaluation of certified and classified staff. On the horizon are a discussion on codes of conduct, a follow-up session on evaluations and a discussion on preparing for the end of the school year.

Linking new administrators to mentors is the second critical function of the WLA.

“We leave it up to the people in the Leadership Academy to establish that relationship,” Dexter says. “We really want to keep it open and flexible.”

Providing that supportive, experienced sounding board is a valuable service to provide any new administrator, but especially when that administrator is isolated in a small rural school district. Veteran administrators have been generous in offering their support for the next generation of educational leaders, Dexter says.

Inaugural WLA sponsors include the Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming School-University Partnership, the Wyoming Association of School Administrators, the Wyoming Association of Elementary School Principals, the Wyoming Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Wyoming School Boards Association.

For more information on the WLA, contact Dexter at (307)766-4006 or rdexter@uwyo.edu.

Leadership Academy supports new principals

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