Session I: Blueprint: Structuring the School for Student Success

Fellows wrote the vision for their individual schools and focused on components, which made the vision a reality: Instructional Strategies, Professional Development, Resource Allocation, Accountability, Instruction, Curriculum, Roles, and Responsibilities.

Presenters: Steve Ramirez and Wendy Chalk         Dates: July 7, 8, 9, 1999
Prospector Square Hotel

This workshop helps Fellows to create and pursue a shared vision by focusing on four key roles of a leader - pathfinding, aligning, empowering and modeling. Fellows will define leadership style, help create a congruent culture, and diagnose the cause of the gap between current results and desired results.

Presenter: Craig Pace                                                  Dates: September 29-30, October 1, 1999
Lodge at Snowbird and Peruvian Conference Center

Session 3: School Climate and Culture

Fellows will determine that culture is "the way we do things around here." It is determined and measured by respect, trust, cohesiveness, connection to the vision, concern for welfare of all, and collaboration. Fellows will determine the culture of their own schools and learn how to change what they think is necessary.

Presenters: Steve Ramirez and Wendy Chalk          Dates: October 18 and 19, 1999
Homestead Resort

Session 4: Utah Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development State Meeting

While Fellows are registered for the entire conference, they have designated times to meet with the keynote speakers and ASCD representatives for work directly related to Utah Principals Academy to include:

Herb Kohl’s work helps principals make every school the right school for neighborhood children despite remarkable differences in the "readiness" of children to be in school. He is the author of Open Classroom, 36 Children, and I Won’t Learn from You.

Pedro Noguera’s well-known Diversity Project from Berkeley High School aims to bring equity to all students so that all students will achieve academic excellence.

Barry Amis, Regional Director for ASCD, will focus on the newest information from ASCD regarding the principalship. He will answer questions from Fellows regarding issues relating to the principalship.

Presenters: All Conference Presenters                  Dates: November 9 and 10, 1999
Place: TBA

Session 5: Finding Common Ground

This session provides the framework for finding common ground in a world of diversity. Historical Background for Religious Liberty, Legal Framework: No Establishment and Free Exercise and the presentation of the Utah 3Rs Project. Participants will apply newly learned knowledge to case studies from public schools and will hear from a group of diverse panel members discuss their views of finding common ground.

Utah Principal Academy Fellows traveled to the Bay Area for a first hand look at the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) reform in action.  Supporting the Goals 2000 National Education Goals, the ten principles of CES focus on School Completion, Student Achievement and Citizenship, Teacher Education and Professional and Parental Development. Utah Education Priorities are supported in this session.

WHAT IS ESSENTIAL?

CES is guided by Ten Common Principles, a set of research-tested and common sense approaches to school design, leadership, curriculum, and instruction that have proven to increase student achievement.  The Ten Common Principles, abbreviated below, describe the fundamental elements of successful schooling.  They are intentionally designed to be adapted to the context of each school community.

THE TEN COMMON PRINCIPLES

1.  Learning to use one’s mind well

2.  Less is more, depth over coverage

3.  Goals apply to all students

4.  Personalization

5. Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach

6. Demonstration of mastery

7. A tone of decency and trust

8. Commitment to entire school

9. Resources dedicated to teaching and learning

10. Democracy and equity

 Session 7: Assessment and Evaluation

In this session Fellows explore the bond between assessment and student motivation, define practical standards of classroom assessment quality and show teachers how to meet those standards. This session also illustrates how teachers can involve students effectively in the assessment, record-keeping and communication processes.

Session 8: Leadership for Bodybrain Compatible Learning

When Fellows leave this two day training they will share the success strategies of other leaders supporting integrated instruction, receive tools like the climate audit, to use as starting points to monitor progress toward creating a body-brain compatible environment for adults and students. Further the Fellows will create renewed understanding of the critical need for effective, shared leadership to sustain systemic change in schools.

Session 9: Inviting School Success

Fellows will learn what Invitational Education is and the foundations of Invitational Education. Fellows will learn how to make schools the most inviting places in town even in a violent society. Fellows will be given assistance in keeping the person most important in the process.

Presenter: Dr. William Purkey                                          Dates: April 6, 2000
Provo Marriott 

Session 10: Putting It All Together

Fellows will have the opportunity of reflecting on all sessions of the year, reviewing their own writing and commitments to change, evaluating the changes that have occurred in their own settings and finalizing the action plans for change within their own lives and school settings.