CULLOWHEE—A team of Jackson County educators worked on creating more teacher leaders in the district during a specialized program from the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a nationally recognized leader in professional development.
For four days in Cullowhee, the 13 educators took part in a variety of efforts to help teacher leadership flourish in the district. The Teacher Leadership Institute program is a new offering designed to respond to the needs of school districts.
“Jackson County Public Schools found our time at NCCAT very valuable,” said interim Jackson County Superintendent Dr. Kim Elliott. “The Teacher Leadership Institute program assisted us in ‘Growing our Own Leaders’ for Jackson County Public Schools. The time we spent in discussion was very important. Transparency is critical to our operations and the sessions on Personnel, Finance and Policy have already proven beneficial. We appreciate this opportunity.”
The essential components of the program cover the topic of leadership as a concept and then get into the specifics of teacher leadership. Educators explore the elements of leadership, teacher leadership potential, personality traits, group dynamics, mentoring, problem solving, teacher leadership standards and implementing teacher leadership roles in the school setting. The other elements of the program can be at the discretion of the Local Education Agencies and include such topics as professional learning communities, data informed leadership, team building, technology leadership, school improvement plans and other items.
“We would highly recommend other groups participating in the Teacher Leadership program with NCCAT,” Elliot said. “NCCAT staff work diligently to tailor sessions to the school system needs.”
NCCAT will continue to provide this teacher leadership program to help school districts in North Carolina. For more information on how your district can take part in a Teacher Leadership Institute program, please contact Bill Miller at [email protected] or 828-293-5202.