Education Week - January 21, 2015 - Special Report - S16

S14 |
EDUCATION WEEK n
January 21, 2015
Shaping Strong School Leaders > www.edweek.org/go/principals
'REAL WORLD' PREP
FOR KIPP PRINCIPALS
BY ARIANNA PROTHERO
Newark, N.J.
Kipp, or the Knowledge Is Power Program,
is known for its size-162 schools and 59,000
students nationally and growing-as well as
its track record of getting solid test scores
out of underprivileged urban and rural
schoolchildren.
But a lesser-known, equally distinctive feature
of the network is its principal-training
programs. With the same focus and intensity
that Kipp applies to expanding its schools and
improving achievement, it has developed a
comprehensive leadership-training program
that has become sought after by other charter
networks and regular school districts.
On a recent morning, a principal and
teacher at Rise Academy-a Kipp charter
school named for a Maya Angelou poem in
this New Jersey city-are discussing the academic
performance and personal struggles of
a student. During the conversation, Principal
David Branson pulls up a series of metrics
on a large computer monitor mounted on the
wall by his desk. Hovering his mouse over a
set of numbers, he asks the teacher, "How concerned
are we about this?" referring to metrics
tracking grades, homework completion,
and discipline.
Watching their exchange is Elizabeth Valerio,
a Kipp principal in training. As the conversation
moves from students to personnel,
Ms. Valerio jots down observations in her
notebook. After the meeting wraps up, Mr.
Branson and Ms. Valerio spend nearly half
an hour dissecting the discussion. Referring
to her notes, Ms. Valerio peppers Mr. Branson
with questions, and, in turn, Mr. Branson
prods her on what she would have done differently
in that discussion with the teacher
and why.
It's the first of several similarly styled conversations
Ms. Valerio will have with Rise
Academy staff members throughout the morning-all
a part of her preparation to lead a
new Kipp school next year in St. Louis.
Ms. Valerio is a Fisher Fellow-Kipp's apprenticeship
program for principals who will
soon be opening their own schools through
Kipp's franchise-like system.
Not Hypothetical
Launched in 2000, the Fisher Fellowship
was Kipp's first training program. After being
accepted into the selective program, often
from Kipp's assistant principal and teacher
leader ranks, Fisher Fellows spend a year visiting
schools of their choice across the country
to see how schools manage everything from
staff to discipline to curriculum.
"One thing that Rise is notoriously good at is
data-driven instruction-so what that means
is making sure that all of their instructional
The charter
network readies
leaders with
intensive training
choices are rooted in data," said Ms. Valerio.
That is why she chose to spend a week shadowing
Mr. Branson. "They're also a really
high-achieving school, and I knew I would be
able to see really excellent teaching in an established
school."
In the summer, Fisher Fellows also attend
a five-week workshop in Chicago and receive
regular, one-on-one coaching with other experienced
Kipp leaders-all aimed at preparing
them to open and lead a school the following
year. The program is not cheap. Fellows receive
salaries and benefits, costing the Kipp
Foundation up to $150,000 per person.
A chunk of that money pays for sending fellows
to schools across the national network
and making sure the training is rooted in
real-world practice, said David Levin, a Kipp
co-founder. "We are not training folks for a hypothetical
leadership job."
Another important feature of Kipp's training
programs, he said, is that participants are always
part of a cohort. "You're not alone. That
cohort experience is a big deal."
Established principals can also join a cohort,
and the Kipp Foundation, a nonprofit organization
that supports the Kipp franchise,
offers several other ongoing professional-development
opportunities, including two national
retreats a year for its school leaders.
In 2005, the foundation expanded its school
leadership-training offerings to a total of six
Photos by Mark Abramson for Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/go/principals
Education Week - January 21, 2015 - Special Report

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