Last summer, the Gainesville City School System (GCSS) partnered with the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) to launch the Gainesville City Schools Aspiring Leaders Program, designed to help district personnel identify and develop highly qualified school leaders.
The Design Team, comprised of Superintendent Wanda Creel and six other district and school leaders, launched the program by developing the Gainesville City School System Leadership Essentials and Priorities, a set of leadership guidelines for Gainesville City School System leaders. GLISI, working with the Design Team, then developed a performance-based recruitment and selection process designed to attract high-quality candidates to build the capacity of current and future school leaders.
Twenty-six teachers, instructional coaches, assistant principals and other school leaders have been selected to spend the FY16 school year learning and practicing the school system's Leadership Essentials and Priorities, as facilitated through nine rigorous performance-based modules. To further support this learning, GLISI provides custom coaching for all seated principals to ensure they have the knowledge and capacity to implement the GCSS Leadership Essentials and Priorities within their schools. At the program’s conclusion, all participants will present capstone projects based on their schools’ data-driven instructional needs.
