CSA Members Explore Goals, Challenges at Executive Leadership Institute
By Yuridia Peña
Former principal Ken Lombardi conducts a workshop at CSA's Executive Leadership Institute.
This summer, hundreds of educators attended dozens of professional development offerings at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, hosted by the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), a sub-branch of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the union for New York City’s public school leaders.
“The professional development provided here at ELI is tailored specifically to us as professionals and as leaders. I think the benefit of the professional development at ELI versus other places is that it’s being provided by actual people who’ve been in the profession [as] actual school leaders,” said Alejandro Rivera, the assistant principal of P.S. 127 in Queens.
ELI provided a range of sessions such as “Middle School Scheduling,” “iPads for Beginners and Advanced users” and “Creating a Quality IEP.” ELI coordinators who lead workshops are mostly former principals; therefore coordinators are equipped to deliver practical, relevant and essential leadership development to any school leader.
“They are experienced educators that can share their experiences with us and give broader and more perspective, that we could apply to our everyday work and schedule,” said Yvette Padilla, an assistant principal.
ELI Executive Director Eloise Messineo said that the institute “delivered practical and relevant professional development presentations to hundreds of New York City school leaders” and “engaged three nationally recognized educators and researchers who addressed our school leaders on pertinent topics of CTE — Career and Technical Education; Differentiated Instruction and Changing School Culture.”
During the Summer Institute, nationally recognized authors and school reformers hold lectures. From Michigan, Dr. Anthony Muhammad’s lecture, “No More Drama! Getting Everyone on the Bus,” addressed how to transform toxic school cultures into healthy ones. During his lecture, he described underlying tensions that impact culture among different groups of educators in a school. Dr. Muhammad delved into how to assess your own school’s culture and take the necessary steps to get your entire staff on the same page and help them attain their pedagogical goals.
However, sometimes it is not just about getting teachers on the right bus. Administrators face many challenges this upcoming school year. Assistant Principal Sabrina Moore said: “Getting my teachers implemented to the common core standards, aligning it with their curriculum and instruction and using the new Danielson system” is what she anticipates to face as her challenges.
Another assistant principal ensures that while issues will inevitably arise in September, it will not thwart academic progress. “Hopefully with the support of the department of ed and the support of fellow colleagues through ELI … those challenges should be minimum,” Rivera said. #
For information on ELI’s upcoming workshops, programs and events, visit http://www.csa-nyc.org/executive-leadership-institute.
