More than ever, strong school leadership is vital to school improvement. School administrators are responsible for providing a high-quality education for all students in our local schools. For that reason, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon is announcing the establishment of the SCOE Leadership Institute in order to prepare and support education leaders in the Sacramento County region.
Research shows that the Sacramento region faces a serious shortage of trained and talented school leaders. A study by WestEd found that by 2017, because of retirements and other factors, Sacramento County will need nearly 300 new school site administrators while the Sacramento region will need close to 500.
"The purpose of our innovative Leadership Institute is to provide cutting edge training, on all levels, to meet the needs of our local schools and districts," Superintendent Gordon said. "We need strong leaders to set high standards, promote excellent teaching, and motivate students and teachers."
The Leadership Institute will be coordinated by L. Steven Winlock, Ed.D., former Associate Superintendent of Elementary Education for the Elk Grove Unified School District, who has a long and distinguished track record of designing and delivering leadership training in the State of California.
"We have developed our Institute in collaboration with the thirteen school districts that we serve, along with the other nine county offices in our Capital Service Region," Winlock said. "This cooperation will support success for all leaders involved in our program."
The Leadership Institute will focus on aspiring administrators to fill the expected need for highly qualified and trained administrators. In addition to aspiring administrators, the Institute is designed to help train newly appointed administrators with one or two years of experience, continuing administrators with three or more years of experience, as well as established district administrators.
Courses offered for Aspiring Administrators (2010-11) include:
- State of Education and Your Leadership
- Shared Vision of Learning
- Teaching and Learning Culture
- Management for Teaching and Learning
- Working with Diverse Families and Communities
- Personal Ethics for Leadership
- Political and Social Influences
The Institute's levels of focus will range from providing Tier I credentialing for aspiring leaders to the continued professional development and support of existing leaders. The Leadership Institute will support the development of the skills administrators need to provide leadership at school sites and in district administration. This will be accomplished through quality instruction and staff development that focuses on academic performance.
Additional information about the SCOE Leadership Institute is available online or by calling (916) 228-2538.