The urban principal’s responsibilities are overarching and seemingly endless. Traditional notions of the role of a school administrator managing a school’s operations from afar have been replaced with a multi-tiered, multi-layered model that mixes instructional leadership with the tasks of a ‘change coach’, ‘professional development facilitator’, and a ‘culture builder’’. It is from this framework that any principal training program worth its salt sets out to attract and develop aspiring principals who know this one truth: the principalship is the most challenging role in education today and it is incredibly complex! When I was a new mentor principal in the Principal Residency Network 2019-2020 cohort with competing demands for my time, I chose to participate in the program because the Network’s philosophy and curriculum sequence were research based, the assignments were culturally meaningful, and its advisors seemed cognizant of the many facets of the work current principals face today.
I’ve been incredibly impressed with PRN’s commitment to centralizing discussions of equity within the program’s programmatic structure. Coming from the largest district in the state, it is especially important that race, language, power, and privilege are situated in such a way that aspiring principals understand how each impact and undergird systems of education. In addition, we must continually ask individuals hoping to increase equity in schools to understand the complex ways that these concepts impact decision making and either marginalize or uplift our students. The Principal Residency Network is committed to bringing folks together around the table to flesh out difficult conceptual frameworks: Advisors engage aspiring and mentor principals by utilizing instructional protocols such as Atlas and World Cafe to dive into research and texts such as Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (2015) for example.
The PRN’s use of The Learning Plan is another useful method for capturing the complexity of the principalship. The Learning Plan compels Aspiring Principals to track their own learning by capturing evidence from their residency experience. The tool also sets “leading” experiences next to “learning experiences” under each indicator so that there is a metacognitive awareness of one’s growth from the beginning, middle, and end of the program. Mentor principals also assess their progress and provide feedback to pinpoint areas of excellence and where their mentee can strengthen their practice during the residency. In addition, the PRN holds space for mentor principals to become reflective about their own career growth. This symbiotic relationship allows for common discourse around professional improvement while providing a supportive safe space for conversations about the very real challenges, struggles, frustrations, and ultimately the rewards of the principalship.
As a mentor principal, I was impressed with the structure and content of the PRN program and the professionalism of its Advisors. I was excited about the learning throughout the year I was engaged through the day long meetings, our readings, conversations, and its protocols. I am encouraged that those who matriculate through the PRN will be prepared for their new endeavor armed with the tools they have learned at PRN. I’m happy to support our new leaders who emerge from the program and thrilled to recruit a dynamic new cadre of dedicated educators interested in the principalship. PRN truly is a special program!