Recognizing the importance of leadership in our public schools, Gov. Perdue recently announced the creation of a new leadership program geared toward turning around rural schools in northeastern North Carolina. Data from our state’s Teacher Working Conditions survey proves that leadership is critical for strong schools.
The N.C. Principals and Assistant Principals Association(NCPAPA) is also working to enhance school leadership. Executive Director Shirley Prince and Wake County Principal Muriel Summers are developing a program called Distinguished Leadership in Practice. This program, sponsored by NCPAPA, the Department of Public Instruction and Learn NC, will further enhance the leadership skills of talented principals from across the state.
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a nonprofit consortium of business leaders in Governor Perdue’s office, has partnered with Dr. Prince and Ms. Summers in this effort. NCBCE member companies SAS, Progress Energy, RBC, GlaxoSmithKline, BB&T, and WakeMed hosted principals in their workplaces as part of the new program.
Following the principals’ visits, I participated in a debriefing session that helped to identify many of the lessons learned such as: the importance of a mission and values; the importance of behaviors tied to values; the value of communication skills; keeping the customer first; having a culture that decreases the likelihood of mistakes; leadership participation in new employee orientation; recognizing staff for outstanding work; the power of leaders to change business culture; and the difficulty in motivating employees when there is failure to reach a goal.
It’s clear there is great value to connecting education leaders with business leaders. While there are differences in the issues, many of the leadership qualities valuable in business, work for school leaders as well. We must keep that conversation going.