COVID-Nation

A few years ago, I wrote two blogs, both focused on solving this problem we call American K-12 public education.  HCG is an organization that is solely focused on the development and support of school and district leaders.  Our many decades of work have made it clear to us that leadership preparation needs an overhaul.  We can’t keep trying to PD our way to increased academic and social-emotional student achievement.  The problems in student achievement are complex and complicated and interconnected with race, class, gender, disability, language, workforce, and housing to name a few.  The school door should not be the center of solving society ills but what schools and districts can solve are how teachers and leaders address the linguistic, cognitive and emotional challenges that impede academic success.
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As school districts around the country struggle to implement variations of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, the public is seeing what those of us who have worked in public education have known for decades, the traditional brick and mortar schools are not providing the high quality education for ALL students, especially disenfranchised students. So, now what?

Over 10 years of research is clear, Principals’ leadership is a critical factor in schools’ success, and school leader preparation programs play a key role in facilitating that success.  Excellent school leadership is essential to school quality, educator satisfaction, and teacher effectiveness.

Will this pandemic afford us the opportunity to hit a reset button or hit the nuclear option and outline specific strategies and resources that support the growth of a strong pipeline of principals and leaders who are able to lead teaching and learning in today’s post-COVID-19 schools?

Author

Carla Hulce is the Principal member of HCG.  ​