School & District Management

Texas Principals Get Training in ‘Quality’

By Jeff Archer — March 20, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The American Productivity & Quality Center, a Houston nonprofit group that has begun teaching school districts how businesses learn from one another to boost their performance, has been tapped by Texas to train principals in struggling schools.

With a state grant of $3.3 million, the center is creating a school leadership pilot program that will provide mandatory training to all principals of Texas schools that have been identified as “academically unacceptable.”

Details still are being worked out, but organizers said last week the program will be able to serve as many as 300 principals a year. They will be grouped into cohorts led over 12 months by about 60 mentors, including practicing and retired administrators.

“A mentor will be someone who has experienced the same challenges as the people they’re working with, but who also has experienced success,” said Anne Miller, the director of strategic education initiatives at the APQC.

The training will draw on the APQC’s extensive experience in helping organizations compare their practices with those of better-performing ones, a process called “benchmarking.”

After working primarily with businesses, the 30-year-old group recently started working with school districts to benchmark such activities as transportation and staff training. (“Districts Compare Notes on Best Business Practices,” Jan. 17, 2007.)

Similar to its benchmarking work with districts and businesses, the APQC’s principal-training program will have leaders learn together in a group that includes some who have gotten good results and some who haven’t.

Key topics will be how to lead change and track progress. Much of the work will take place online, thanks to a partnership with the business school at the University of Houston, Victoria, seen as a leader in distance learning.

“We recognize that these principals are getting professional development now, so what we don’t want to be is one more layer of obfuscation,” said C. Jackson Grayson, the founder and chief executive of the APQC. “What we really want to do is blend with what they are doing now.”

See Also

See other stories on education issues in Texas. See data on Texas’ public school system.

For more stories on this topic see Leadership and Management.

A version of this article appeared in the March 21, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Support Your Newest Teachers with Personalized PD & Coaching
Discover steps you can take to strengthen new teacher support and build long-term capacity in your district.
Content provided by BetterLesson
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
Smartphones and Social Media: Building Policies for Safe Technology Use in Schools
Smartphones and social media are ever present with today’s students. Join this conversation on navigating the challenges and tailoring policy.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Don’t Count Them Out: Dyscalculia Support from PreK-Career
Join Dr. Elliott and Dr. Wall as they empower educators to support students with dyscalculia to envision successful careers and leadership roles.
Content provided by TouchMath

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management How These Schools Get Boys Excited About Learning
These four schools are reimagining their schedules and operations to better serve boys.
2 min read
Students play in the creativity corner during recess at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland on Oct. 24, 2024 in Baltimore, Md.
Students play in the creativity corner during recess at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in Baltimore on Oct. 24, 2024. When schools offer students more independence and choice, boys in particular tend to thrive, experts say.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
School & District Management As It Closes Schools, This District Wants to Avoid the Mistakes of the Past
The district wants to move slowly and not make closure decisions based on enrollment alone.
7 min read
The School District of Philadelphia headquarters are shown in Philadelphia on July 23, 2024.
The School District of Philadelphia headquarters are shown in Philadelphia on July 23, 2024. The district is embarking on a yearlong process to assess which of its smaller schools may need to close.
Matt Rourke/AP
School & District Management How Schools Can Navigate Trump's Immigration Policies
As legal protections remain for immigrant students, experts share what educators can do in the wake of federal immigration policy changes.
6 min read
A student arrives for school Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston.
A student arrives for school on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Boston. Schools are navigating new challenges after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ended its policy discouraging immigration enforcement at sensitive locations—such as schools.
Michael Dwyer/AP
School & District Management What Principals Can Do So Teachers Don't Dread Observations
Principals can make walkthroughs more palatable. Here's how.
6 min read
Principal and teacher walking through a school hallway.
E+/Getty