The Aspiring Administrators Academy is specifically intended for current, licensed employees of Rutherford County Schools who do not yet hold a North Carolina Professional Educator’s License in area 012 (“School Administrator – Principal”) and who demonstrate:
* A history of superior professional practice within the public school setting;
* Emerging or established skills and dispositions necessary for successful practice as a principal or assistant principal;
* An aptitude for and interest in exploring topics and themes in school leadership, both independently and alongside colleagues; and
* A firm or tentative interest in becoming a principal or assistant principal for Rutherford County Schools within the next three to five years.
What is the Aspiring Administrators Academy?
The Aspiring Administrators Academy includes five components spanning one full school year. Those components will guide participants through an organized exploration of topics and themes in school leadership and encourage active, formative interactions among members of the cohort. They include:
Component 1: Kickoff Retreat
Participants will begin their Aspiring Administrators Academy experience with a Kickoff Retreat, to be held on a Friday evening and the following Saturday. During the retreat, participants will learn more about program components, engage in team-building activities, explore leadership styles, complete personal leadership inventories, network with colleagues, and survey a range of topics in school leadership. Meals are included.
Component 2: School Leadership Seminars
Participants will engage once monthly in a School Leadership Seminar, to be held on weekdays from 4:30 PM until 7:00 PM. During those seminars, participants will uncover and examine topics in school leadership by exploring school leadership vignettes both independently and alongside colleagues, and by engaging with invited guests through panel discussions and special presentations. Dinner is included.
Component 3: Job Shadowing
Participants will engage in three job shadowing exercises featuring paired, daylong experiences alongside one elementary school principal, one middle school principal, and one high school principal in Rutherford County Schools. On job shadowing days, participants will follow the work schedules of their partner principals and join them at their respective schools to observe, track, and discuss the diverse array of school leadership activities they routinely complete. Job shadowing dates will be individually arranged to accommodate the schedules and needs of participants and partnering principals. Related substitute teacher costs will be paid by Rutherford County Schools.
Component 4: School Leadership Project
Participants will partner with their own principals to identify, design, implement, and monitor the results of an independent project in school leadership that addresses an important need within their respective schools. Participants will present their project proposals to the cohort for discussion and constructive feedback and provide periodic progress reports during School Leadership Seminar sessions.
Component 5: Graduation
The Aspiring Administrators Academy will conclude with a special graduation ceremony, to be held at 5:30 PM on a weekday. Invited guests, including school and district administrators and members of the Rutherford County Board of Education, will recognize and celebrate participants. During the ceremony, participants will present summaries of their School Leadership Projects that include an overview of their scope and impact. Dinner is included.