Nationally Recognized for Uplifting and Empowering Principals

A recent publication from The Aspen Institute highlights the Long Beach Unified School District as one of five U.S. school systems with innovative practices in place that effectively empower principals to thrive as school administrators and leaders.

The publication titled "Redefining the Role of the Principal: Innovative Approaches To Empower School Leaders," details (on page 8) how “LBUSD provides differentiated professional development that meets principals at every stage of their career — from before they start the position, to when they exit the role and beyond” through the District’s Equity Leadership & Talent Development (ELTD) programs.

“All principals have a principal supervisor and a coach. Principal supervisors provide guidance, evaluate performance and act as principals’ advocates. LBUSD views this role as a critical inflection point in the development of principals as instructional leaders. Once principals have established a record of success, LBUSD helps them become certified coaches, placing them in the pipeline for principal-supervisor roles,” the publication notes.

The District’s ELTD office provides over 20 leadership and talent development programs designed to cultivate teacher leaders, aspiring or new administrators, principals and classified leaders across LBUSD. 

The LBUSD programs doctored for each phase of the principalship include an Aspiring Principals’ Program which provides aligned professional development, structured job shadowing and mentoring support to prepare participants for the principalship; a New Principals Support Program with monthly support meetings throughout the school year; a Principal Coaching Program with professional development opportunities and yearly support meetings; and the Change of Principal Workshop designed to facilitate a change of leadership at a school site.

The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization with an earned reputation for gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars and members of the public to address some of the world's most complex problems.

Learn more at www.aspeninstitute.org.