What we’re learning about blended learning for school leader professional development

Five key lessons are emerging in providing online support for one of the biggest education levers of change: school leadership preparation.

According to recent AASA (a national superintendents association), and AACTE (American Association of College for Teacher Education) surveys of school leaders, principals want more practical support and experiences that reflect the kind of challenges they will face on the job. Experiential learning is core to the NYC Leadership Academy’s (NYCLA) Aspiring Principals Program (APP) residency, which now includes online curriculum to support residents while they’re in the thick of their school responsibilities.

Like a medical residency, the school leadership residency matches aspiring leaders with opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities in a school with the support of a trained mentor principal and coach. The experience imparts knowledge, skills and thinking that cannot be learned in books or even watching someone else lead a school.

NYCLA’s Senior Director for Learning Systems Rachel Scott led the team that studied and matched the needs of resident aspiring principals with an online platform that supports specific leadership skills and reflection. The online platform provides a cost-effective way to support both aspiring and sitting principals scattered across geographic distances. It opens access to a range of online tools and experiences that can enhance school leaders’ practice for the rest of their careers.

“What we’re discovering about adult learning is important for the field of online principal preparation and professional development,” Scott said. “Some of these lessons seem obvious, but we still need to grapple with them. The solutions are not easy.”

Five key lessons are emerging

1. If you build it, don’t expect all to come without direction. “Schools can be overwhelming, all-consuming places,” Scott said. “Aspiring and sitting leaders need to see how online learning can fit into the rhythms of their days and how it is connected to their leadership preparation. Part of this requires giving leaders more technological orientation, as they may not yet be using online tools often.”

2. Digital support is a perfect match for a busy, isolating job, but content must be compelling. The digital platform in a blended residency helps overcome barriers of time and budget constraints and connects leaders who might otherwise feel pretty isolated. “We want to provide school leaders with a place to turn to get support on the problems that are keeping them up at night, but they’ll only do it if the resources and content they find are compelling and useful,” Scott said. “NYCLA is fortunate to have a 13-year track record of providing job-embedded support for school leaders across the nation and is leveraging this experience in the online space. We know what school leaders will need to know and be able to do to improve student learning.”

3. Digital proficiency and communication is a core leadership competency. It is increasingly important for school leaders to establish a digital presence and communicate clearly with their school communities. “For some school leaders, online communication may be considered an ‘other’ that isn’t a high priority,” Scott said. “Teachers, families, students and others expect leaders to deliver clear, compelling information online in spite of the multiple demands placed on them. Principals can also be important models for tapping into online resources and fostering innovation among teachers and students. “

4. Online learning lends itself to critical thinking and analysis, but it takes active facilitation. To help school leaders sharpen their critical thinking and analysis, NYCLA’s blended residency discussion forum asks aspiring leaders to engage in in-depth online discussions about key concepts that include timely educational topics in the news. “When it comes to debating key concepts, we want them to be up-to-date on the national dialogue about education, sift through ideas, and take action where needed,” says Scott.

Scott said it requires explicit direction to help people stay engaged in critical discourse, because research shows that humans tend to have a default setting to share their personal experience versus debating broader based and professionally relevant concepts. “We are working on ways to encourage aspiring leaders to be analytical and challenge each other.”

5. Use online learning to support content knowledge development. Some leaders need significantly more content/subject matter knowledge and guidance about how to support excellent instruction. The online platform in the blended residency can be a helpful support in this area. Most school leaders are former teachers, but have not taught in a classroom for at least five years. There are scores of instructional materials online, but school leaders can use help in discerning quality and hearing from others’ experiences. Depending on a district or organization’s needs, NYCLA will customize support to match areas of professional learning that need extra reinforcement from curriculum and assessment in specific subjects to cultural proficiency to project-based learning.

These lessons from NYCLA’s experience piloting blended learning residencies for aspiring leaders are important as education reforms intended to improve student achievement place more pressure on principals as key drivers of school improvement. How school leaders are prepared and supported is critical. A thoughtfully designed online platform offers an innovative and efficient way to prepare school leaders to know and do what it takes to lead schools that help all students learn and advance.

For more information about programs for aspiring principals and leaders go to www.nycleadershipacademy.org