School Leader Lab

📋 "How do I show up for my team on November 6th?" If you're asking yourself this question, you're not alone. As a school leader, you navigate the delicate balance between acknowledging the weight of the election and maintaining stability for your staff. We wanted to share a few key insights and some school specific sample language inspired by an article from a Harvard Business Review. 1️⃣ Name the elephant in the room - acknowledge the emotional complexity and intensity of the moment. Avoiding it only amplifies the tension. 2️⃣ Position yourself on "the balcony" rather than getting swept up on the "dance floor of raw feelings," as Ronald Heifitz wisely puts it. Project stability while honoring emotions. 3️⃣ Process your own reactions outside of work. Your role is to create space for your team and students to express their thoughts and feelings. Not the other way around. 4️⃣ Be the steady hand. Anchor your team in your organization's unchanging values and remind them of their resilience through past challenges. What's particularly powerful about this framework is that it extends beyond elections - it's a blueprint for leading through any moment of collective uncertainty and strong emotions. As educators and education leaders, we often face these moments in our work to create more equitable schools. Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about creating a space where everyone in our school community feels heard while maintaining focus on our shared mission: serving our students and families. How are you preparing to support your teams while maintaining focus on student learning? #EducationalLeadership #SchoolLeaders #EquitableEducation #Leadership #CommunitySchools https://lnkd.in/ex4z887e

🎙️ This week, our Executive Director, Erica Beal, presented powerful testimony to the DC Council on a critical issue: teacher and principal retention. Why does this matter? School leaders at multiple levels of the leadership pipeline are at the heart of teacher retention. They create the working conditions that can either keep educators inspired or push them out. For meaningful change, we must invest in the development and retention of these leaders who shape the culture, growth, and success of our schools. To ensure every DC student has access to transformative leadership, Erica outlined key recommendations to the Council: 🔹 Increase funding for leadership development programs with proven impact and success. Support role alike programs at multiple levels of the pipeline (teacher leaders, APs, principals, network/district chiefs and ED’s/senior leaders). 🔹 Support clear pathways for leadership, starting at the teacher-leader level, with guidance on what it takes to be successful at each level of the pipeline. 🔹 Ensure equitable access to leadership development opportunities, especially for leaders of color. 🔹 Invest in cohort programs that help leaders persist in their roles, build skills, gain a peer network, and adopt impactful practices that drive teacher retention and student growth. Erica’s full testimony dives deeper into these solutions. We invite you to read it here: https://lnkd.in/eBWxgwmd  Let’s continue to work together to build a future where every DC school benefits from transformative, long-time leadership!

School Leader Lab participated in Spur Local’s Community Changemakers 2024 event on Wednesday night at Hook Hall. This event was an opportunity for School Leader Lab to meet and network with local changemakers. One of our alums, Chelsie Jones, joined Erica Beal to help tell the SLL story. They also asked these changemakers to tell us what a strong school leader is to them. Check out their awesome responses! #StrongSchoolLeaders

Our ten principals from Blytheville, AR, to Jackson, MS, who make up our first DeltaStrong PLC, wrapped up an incredible day of learning and growing together.  One leader reflected, “I am leaving this session feeling affirmed. It was enlightening to share with leaders experiencing similar concerns and get personal feedback on an essential question specific to my principalship.”

Join us in congratulating Dr. Jeanice B. Stewart, Ed. S. (SLC 2020 + DC PLC 2023), Principal of Rocketship Public Schools Legacy Campus, on her PhD in K-12 Educational Leadership! On October 7, she successfully defended her dissertation: “Teachers' Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Toward Inclusive Education Based on Teacher Education Program and Years of Teaching Experience,” at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Congrats Dr. Stewart! Are you an SLL alum or partner who has something to celebrate? Maybe it's a promotion. Maybe it's a special accolade for yourself or your school. Let us know here! https://lnkd.in/evu8wVgg

Steffanie Hawkins (SLC 2023), High School Principal of Paul Public Charter School, has been a school leader for over ten years. As we continue to celebrate Principal’s Month, join us in acknowledging this huge milestone! #PrincipalsMonth #ThankAPrincipal

Session 2 of APLA focused on the true definition and art of adaptive leadership and exercising leadership. "Authority comes with expectations, and our job as leaders is to navigate what people expect from us and understand what we can deliver and how. We must and will disappoint those we lead, but we need to do it at a rate they can stand." Thank you to Brendan O'Day, Ed.D., and our amazing APs for staying curious.

Join us in congratulating Jolene R. Galpin (DC PLC 2024), Principal of DCI - District of Columbia International School, on her Doctor of Education! On October 15, she successfully defended her dissertation "Advocating for Acceptance: Mothers' Experiences of their Gender-Diverse Children in Challenging School Environments.” Jolene will graduate in December from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in Diversity and Equity in Education. Congrats Dr. Galpin!

School Leader Cohort 2023 started the day visiting Center City Public Charter Schools Shaw Campus, led by Kim Fuller. In the afternoon, participants focused on leveraging their emotional intelligence and different leadership postures to advance their school goals. 

Today, in celebration of Principal’s Month, we highlight Megan DeRitter (SLC 2023), Principal at Two Rivers Public Charter School, Young Campus. #PrincipalsMonth #ThankAPrincipal