CSC has recognized the value of school leadership and the need for new approaches to develop strong leaders. To understand how others did this, CSC interviewed 24 business and community leaders. The results are compiled in CSC’s report, Learning to Lead.
CSC applied those lessons as it developed a year-long Leadership Academy, serving district and chartered public school educators.  CSC trained six cohorts, totaling about 100 district and charter public school educators.
The year-long Leadership Academy had several key features: Each participant had an education and a business mentor, each participant visited outstanding public schools in another city, each participant had a year long project designed to help improve achievement in her/his school, and each participant attended approximately 6 workshops throughout the year. The overall goal was to help develop much stronger skills and knowledge, leading to measurable improvement in schools led by leadership academy participants.
CSC deeply appreciates assistance with several community partners who helped us design and carry out the Leadership Academy. The Carlson Family Foundation supported initial research, provided speakers and mentors. The Minnesota Department of Education, via a federal grant, supported the first several years of the Leadership Academy. The Minnesota Business Partnership and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce helped recruit outstanding business people who volunteered to serve as mentors. Target Corporation provided free training. This training used role plays and readings to help educators develop skills they need to supervise people reporting to them. For example, what steps can leaders take to help strengthen the skills and talents of people they supervise? What strategies can be used to work with poorly performing staff?
 The New York Times and Washington Post wrote about the CSC’s Leadership Academy.
See all our Leadership Academy blog posts for news related to the project.
Leadership Academy videos
If you have trouble viewing the YouTube videos above because of your school’s content filtering software, try clicking on the links below:
KIPP School Houston, TX
- KIPP test prep and college readiness
- KIPP teachers are available in the evenings
- KIPP heritage and lineage
- KIPP’s goals 2yr, 4yr and other options
- KIPP – Big Literary Lessons
- Leadership development at KIPP
- KIPP through college (grades 6-16)
- KIPP Shine PREP (PreK – elementary)
- How does KIPP improve its faculty
- KIPP gratitude wall and KIPP SHINE Manifesto
- KIPP adminstrators help teachers achieve their goals
- How special ed works at KIPP
- KIPP – graduation ceremony at the end of the year
- How KIPP keeps teachers happy
- KIPP wall of honor
- What’s the KIPP leader reading?
- Teachers’ dress code issues at KIPP
Yes Prep School, Â Houston, TX
- YES Prep history of the campus
- YES Prep focus on college
- YES Prep – Middle School Pathways
- YES Prep – middle school students research to show there is a place for you on higher ed
- YES Prep focus on colleges and universities is unique
- YES Prep – College Counseling is our Meat and Potatoes
- College Corner at YES Prep
- YES Prep posts all college acceptance letters
- YES Prep importance of individual school goals
- YES Prep number of college students and graduates
- YES Prep seminar classes help prepare students for higher education
- YES Prep – college themed homerooms
- YES Prep students own their own path for post-secondary education
Reflections on the trip to Houston, TX
- Reflections on the trip 1 – (signs seen)
- Reflections on the trip 2 (more than one way to get strong results)
- Reflections on the trip 3 (books to read)