Wednesday, February 13, 4 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Von SheppardHow did he learn to transform a school? What can we learn from his experience?

Von SheppardAssistant superintendent, Boulder, Colorado

Former principal, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, St. Paul, Minnesota

Von SheppardAssistant superintendent, Boulder, ColoradoFormer principal, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, St. Paul, Minnesota

“It is so important to dispel the myth that these children can’t learn to high standards.

There’s a belief system out there that they’re not as

smart as white kids. We’re on a mission to conquer every

myth and every test.”--Von Sheppard, principal, Dayton’s Bluff

Achievement Plus Elementary SchoolSt. Paul, Minnesota

Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus ElementarySt. Paul, Minnesota

312 students, Kindergarten through Grade 6

African American 48%

Asian 21%

Latino 14%

White 15%

Low Income 92%

Source: Minnesota Department of Education School Report Card, http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/

Source: Minnesota Department of Education School Report Card, http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/

What effective principals do

• Shape a vision of academic success for all students

• Create a climate hospitable to education

• Cultivate leadership in others• Lead the leadership team• Lead the professional learning community

• Improve instruction• Manage people, data and processes

to foster school improvement

19The Wallace Foundation

Key steps districts can take• Clearly define standards for principals

• Define accountability and leader evaluation measures and give principals the authority and support to achieve them

– Use leader evaluation to focus more attention on their role on improving instruction

• Place and retain effective principals in the highest needs schools

• Provide timely, relevant data to enable principals to accurately diagnose and address students’ learning needs

• Provide time for principals to focus on instruction

• Design and implement a pipeline to develop, train, place and support effective principals for all schools

20The Wallace Foundation

Putting it all together:a “principal pipeline”

That are all:•High quality•Aligned•In support of district reform agenda•District-wide scale

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Leader standards

Leader standards

High-quality aspiring leader

training programs

High-quality aspiring leader

training programs

Evaluation and on-the-job support

Evaluation and on-the-job support

Selective hiring

Selective hiring

The Wallace Foundation

Register now for the rest of the webinar series:Tuesday, March 12 , 4-5 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Jeffrey Litt, superintendent of Icahn Charter SchoolsTuesday, April 16 , 4-5 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Teri Brecheen, director of literacy for OklahomaWednesday, May 15, 4-5 p.m. ET

A Conversation with Sharon Brittingham, principal coach for the state of Delaware

How did they learn to transform their schools? What can we learn from their experiences that will

help us improve schools across the country?