If you have unanswered questions about New Leaders, we hope you will attend an information session or contact us. However, some common questions are answered below.
Application
Admissions
Diversity
Acceptance
Training and Support During the Residency Year
Ongoing Support After the Residency Year
Certification
Assignment and Placement
Finances, Salary and Benefits
Application
When are the application deadlines?
All of the deadlines for our program starting in the 2012-2013 school year have passed. Please check back on our website in the late summer for next year’s application.
What is the experience level and background of a typical New Leader?
New Leaders are current teachers and teacher leaders, former teachers turned for-profit and non-profit leaders, and everything in between. New Leaders are diverse in every respect and come from varied backgrounds. However, all successful candidates to our Aspiring Principals Program have an unwavering focus and relentless drive to ensure high academic achievement for students in poverty and students of color. Additionally, all New Leaders have instructional expertise in a K-12 classroom, a record of success in leading adults, and achieve despite tremendous obstacles. Successful candidates meet the Aspiring Principals Program Selection Criteria.
Who is eligible to apply to the Aspiring Principals Program? What is the minimum number of years of teaching experience required to apply?
Minimum application requirements vary by program city. New Leaders have had anywhere from 2 to 25 years of classroom experience with an average of 7 years. All applicants must possess instructional expertise in a K-12 setting including and, at minimum, 2-5 years of full-time K-12 classroom teaching experience, depending on the program site. A teaching certificate is required in some of our program cities. For specifics, please check the City Eligibility Requirements.
Can I fax or email my application?
No, we only accept on-line applications. We also only accept resumes through our online Eligibility Screening Form.
If I apply for a mini-deadline and am denied, can I reapply at the Final Deadline?
No, you cannot reapply in the same academic year. However, you are welcome to apply again in following years. During that time, we encourage you to reflect on our Selection Criteria and seek opportunities for professional development in areas of the Selection Criteria that you may not have demonstrated during the process.
What browser or system requirements should I know about before using the Applicant Portal?
New Leaders supports the following browsers: Microsoft IE 7.0, Mozilla Firefox 2.x, and Apple Safari 3.0 (on MacOS X 10.4 and later). Regardless of which browser you use, JavaScript must be enabled, and SSL v3 and 128-bit encryption must be available in your browser. Please note: New Leaders no longer supports Microsoft IE 6.0. If you are using this browser, you will need to update to one of the browsers listed above.
Admissions
Can I change my program site preference after I have applied?
Yes, you can change your program site preference after submitting your application. However, if you are invited to a Finalist Selection Day, we must know your final program site preference beforehand. Finalist Selection Days must be attended in the program site to which you are applying.
When will you call references?
New Leaders will call references for certain candidates after Finalist Selection Day. We will not contact references beforehand.
Do you give feedback to candidates who are denied?
Due to the large number of applicants and the high volume of requests, we are unable to provide feedback to individual candidates who are denied admission. We encourage all applicants to carefully review our Selection Criteria and self-assess their strengths and growth areas.
Diversity
How diverse are New Leaders?
Because selection to become a New Leader is competency-based, our community is very diverse: New Leaders range in age from 26 to 60. Two thirds are people of color. One third of New Leaders are men, and two thirds are women. New Leaders have experience in district, alternative, and charter schools, and bring with them a wide-range of rich professional and personal experiences.
While all of our New Leaders have prior teaching experience, half come directly from the school systems with which we partner and half come from outside these systems, representing diverse, successful backgrounds in schools, universities, companies, non-profit organizations and foundations.
Are you looking for people in a certain age group?
No. New Leaders have ranged in age from 26 to 60 years old at the time of entry to our program. Our competency-based selection process ensures that New Leaders come from a wide range of pathways and experiences. We encourage candidates of all ages to apply.
Acceptance
If I am not accepted into the program, can I apply again?
You cannot apply twice in the same academic year, but you are welcome to reapply in following years. During that time, we encourage you to reflect on our Selection Criteria and seek opportunities for professional development.
Can I be a New Leader for less than six years?
No. New Leaders sign a contract and make a binding commitment to serve as a leader for at least six years (including the Residency) in the program site to which they are admitted. In exchange, all New Leaders benefit from the tuition-free training, coursework, and certification program in addition to a paid residency with benefits. The Residency year counts as one of the six years.
How can I better prepare myself to be a New Leader Resident?
New Leaders encourages potential Residents to take on leadership roles, gain familiarity with social change and education reform issues, keep track of innovative ideas that you may want to implement as a school leader, and seek feedback on opportunities for continued growth.
Training and Support During the Residency Year
What type of training and support is provided?
Our training program is based on a rigorous curriculum focused on best practices and the latest research as well as a full school year of on-the-job training. There are three major components to our program:
- Local- the majority of coursework is done on an ongoing basis in our program cities to provide a learning experience that prepares Residents to be a principal in their particular city
- National – Residents gather briefly a few times during the year as a national cohort to learn national context and from other aspiring school leaders across the country
- Virtual – trainings held through online webinars provide national content and resources to Residents while also allowing them to learn on their own time throughout the year
Do I have to attend all of the trainings?
Yes. It is critical that all Residents fully engage in all courses and professional development opportunities presented, including the National seminars that require Residents to travel outside of their local site. Through this coursework, New Leaders will gain essential knowledge and skills that will become the foundation of their future work as a principal.
Do I still have to attend all trainings if I have already completed coursework toward my administrative/supervisory certification?
Yes. Each training is an integral part of the New Leaders program, and all Residents are required to attend. The Aspiring Principals Program is uniquely designed to provide a significant amount of coursework and training in a short period of time, and therefore all components of the program are required.
What do typical group trainings look like?
Sessions may include discussions, small group work, lectures and presentations. Residents may participate in case-study groups, peer-led presentations, discussion sessions, and/or book talks. Evenings and time outside of seminars may be devoted to reading, assignments, special presenters and/or preparation for class. We also dedicate community time for Residents to leverage opportunities to connect with one another. A full schedule of courses and activities will be available before each training so that you can plan accordingly.
What will I do during the Residency?
You will spend a year in a paid, full-time Residency at an urban public school alongside a carefully matched mentor principal. The Residency builds upon summer coursework, enabling Residents to become full members of school leadership teams, drive academic achievement for a defined set of students, and apply skills learned through authentic work.
It is a Resident-driven learning experience, in which New Leaders take responsibility for working with multiple teams of teachers to improve the academic achievement of defined groups of students. Through the Residency, Residents demonstrate their understanding and application of key skills, and they develop their proficiency in the New Leaders Principal Leadership Competencies based on an individualized Principal Leadership Development Plan. In addition to working in their schools, Residents attend city meetings led by Leadership Coaches/Specialists, who are all experienced former principals. The Coaches/Specialists visit Residents regularly at their sites and support Residents’ implementation of their learning and skills.
Residents are required to attend week-long National seminars a few times during the Residency year. National seminars provide Residents with an opportunity to engage in learning with other New Leaders from across the country and use their real-world school leadership experiences from the Residency to inform and enhance the learning experience.
During the Residency year, Residents also complete three major Residency projects. Two of these focus on increasing student achievement in literacy and in math for a defined group of students. The third project focuses on creating a personalized vision of the school the Resident will lead upon becoming a Principal.
Ongoing Support After the Residency Year
What kind of support does New Leaders provide after the Residency year?
This year New Leaders launched the Principal Institute, a new support model for early-tenure New Leader Principals in the 2011– 2012 school year. The final stage in the Aspiring Principals Program, the Principal Institute provides all first-year principals and second-year high school principals with substantial professional development and support in the form of a structured, expertly facilitated learning network. Participants learn from our community of New Leaders, hone their leadership skills, and work together to drive student achievement gains. Local groups meet monthly for several hours to learn particular skills, and participants also stay connected and provide each other feedback virtually.
Ongoing Support is also always available from the New Leaders community through:
- Professional development workshops at the national level
- Summits and other events held locally in each of our cities
- School-wide diagnostic tools and action planning frameworks
- Urban Excellence Framework Field Guide
- The EPIC Knowledge System, featuring case studies and tools from schools across the country making significant achievement gains
Certification
Will I have my administrative certification after my Residency?
Upon successful completion of the Residency year and city-specific requirements, most New Leaders receive formal certification and licensure as administrators in their respective states.
Program sites have either a university partner that recognizes the Aspiring Principals Program coursework that leads to administrative certification or has been formally approved by the city and state as a certifying program. In all cases, we have mapped our curriculum to state standards and as long as you successfully complete the requirements of the Residency, coursework, and weekly seminars, you will receive certification. Some program sites require that you pass additional state and/or district assessments during or at the end of your Residency to obtain certification. For more information, please contact our local program offices.
Assignment and Placement
How will I be matched with a mentor principal and school during the Residency?
The Residency requires that New Leaders play a critical leadership role in a school, so Residents are placed at sites with mentors who are willing to empower them and set them up for success. We work with mentors who believe in New Leader’s mission and are committed to ensuring that all students succeed academically.
Local program teams match each Resident with a mentor principal who has demonstrated leadership skills and a successful record of increasing student achievement. We work hard to ensure that the pairing be complementary, allowing the Resident to be both challenged and given the opportunity to apply his or her expertise toward the growth of the school.
Residents are placed in an urban public school that provides opportunities to take on responsibilities which will increase their leadership proficiencies. This relationship is characterized by a give and take connection. The mentor principals share their professional knowledge and experience and provide the Residents with opportunities to lead and participate in the roles and responsibilities of urban school principals. The Residents, in turn, collaboratively identify needs at the Residency site that, if addressed, also enable the Residents to gain proficiency in the Principal Leadership Competencies.
Before matching you with a mentor principal, your Leadership Coach/Specialist and /or local Executive Director will reach out to you to learn more about your preferences around grade level, type of school, and learning areas. They will also take into account the areas of strength and growth they observed during the admissions process.
How will I secure a position as a principal after completing the Residency?
New Leaders are responsible for finding their own placements as principals. While we support New Leaders in the job search process, we do not place New Leaders in a principalship after completion of the Residency. We work closely with each New Leader to identify openings that may be a strong match for him or her, but each individual is responsible for pursuing job opportunities and securing a placement. The choice of size, type, and culture of a school are left to the individual, allowing flexibility in the job search process.
What types of schools do New Leaders lead?
New Leaders serve in a variety of schools, including existing schools and start-ups, and a variety of grade levels ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
Finances, Salary and Benefits
Do I have to pay a fee for the coursework and instruction I am receiving?
No, you do not need to pay for your coursework. In return for your commitment to serve as a school leader, for at least six years (including your Residency), you will receive cutting-edge coursework, instruction, and support at no cost.
Will I get a salary and benefits during the Residency?
Yes. Residents are paid directly by the school districts or charter systems for which they work and will receive salaries and benefits commensurate with the partner district or organization.
