Program Overview

With support from a leadership coach and experience managing teachers in a local school, our residents learn how to create a school culture where students are challenged and inspired and where teachers receive the feedback and support they need to grow.

Here’s how it works:

1. Summer Institute. This is the first step in becoming a PLUS resident! You will participate in an intensive training program to introduce you to the fundamentals of school leadership built upon the foundation of four essential resources that students need to succeed:
   
   • • Grade Appropriate Assignments
     • Strong Instruction
     • Deep Engagement
     • Teachers who hold them accountable

   You will learn how to help teachers get better by learning how to observe and give feedback. Summer Institute is the beginning of your journey to becoming a transformational leader.

2. Begin Your Residency. In August of your first year, you will be placed at your new school at the end of Summer Institute. You will meet with your mentor principal, learn about their vision for the school, and begin considering what your entry plan will look like.
3. Year One. In year one of your residency, you will focus on building relationships with teachers, understanding their motivations, and helping them improve. You will have to build trust and transparency with them as you give them feedback about their teaching, and they provide feedback about your leadership. PLUS residents receive 360-degree feedback from their mentor principal, teachers, and leadership coach.
4. Year Two. In year two, you continue to develop your assigned teachers alongside a system to help realize your principal’s vision. You will learn how to design systems that are rooted in your values. By the end of year two, you will have designed your ideal school by finishing your School Vision Blueprint.
5. Graduate School. During both years of the residency, you will take courses to prepare you for PK-12 building principal certification in Missouri. If you have a bachelor's degree, you will obtain a Master of Arts; if you already have a master’s degree, you will receive an Educational Specialist degree. Those who seek Kansas certification can apply to be certified in both states. The coursework supports the state requirements for educational leaders in the PK-12 public school setting.

The combination of great leadership coaching and getting to know and learn from everyone in our cohort was transformational.

Joe Mentesana
Cohort 5