NPLI 2013: Overcoming Obstacles to Change
Action plans, strategic plans, school improvement plans. SMART goals. State reviews, district mandates, school leadership teams. Transformation and turnaround. These are all attempts at leading significant school change. Almost all of them fail.
NPLI 2013 will examine why school reform fails. We will hear from researchers who studied change, principals and superintendents who led change and leaders in other fields who had to “change or die.”
Using case studies, simulations and visits to other organizations like West Point, NYC Police Academy, McGraw-Hill and Volunteers of America, Institute teams will identify common obstacles to change.
We will then practice. Every NPLI 2013 team will be organized around common school problems such as teacher retention, changing demographics, toxic culture, academic achievement, entrenched staff, etc. Team members, in pairs, will focus on common issues and change efforts in their respective schools. In effect they will predict the barriers they might face and develop proactive ways to counter them. Everyone will return home with a customized and practical plan and a partner to rely on.
Leadership Consultations
Unique to the National Principals Leadership Institute is the opportunity for each participant to review a leadership style inventory with a member of the Institute’s National Faculty. Each confidential conversation will help participants create an individualized growth plan by focusing on questions such as: What strengths do I want to build on? What area do I want to work on? How can I impact on student success?
Download the 2013 Institute Brochure with complete details
What makes the National Principals Leadership Institute the choice professional development program for education leaders? Read this comparative chart:
| COMPONENT |
NPLI APPPROACH |
TYPICAL PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE/CONVENTION |
Unified Theme
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A unified theme drives institute speakers, team projects and special activities.
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Unified themes may or may not be utilized to ‘brand’ professional conferences or conventions.
Professional conferences and conventions are generally too large and unstructured to facilitate this component.
Professional conferences and conventions are not organized in this manner. Instead, participants must choose from dozens of lectures, workshops and seminars that are available during particular time slots.
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Take It Home
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Throughout the institute, participants are provided time to reflect on: “How can I use this information to benefit me, my school, and/or my district?”
- Former NPLI participants report continued use of NPLI information and materials on-the-job.
- Professional relationships with school administrators from across the U.S. and Canada, developed during the institute are generally maintained.
- Study groups and Professional Learning Communities (PLC) often result when districts send groups of administrators to the institute
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Personalization
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NPLI’s National Faculty comprised of current and retired school administrators and university professors, provide confidential leadership consultations designed to address professional issues and/or concerns unique to each participant.
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This activity is not and cannot be successfully implemented at large, unstructured conferences or conventions. |
Sense of Intimacy and Bonding
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NPLI participants and staff are provided opportunities to question and interact with each speaker/presenter.
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Professional conferences and conventions often attract 2,000 or more participants. Many of the presentations are viewed on giant screens, with no opportunity to question or interact with presenters.
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“Change is not an event; it is a process.”
-Michael Fullan, author.
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NPLI’s schedule of activities is quite deliberate. Every keynote address, roundtable discussion and expedition-ary learning activity is intentionally crafted to assist teams of participants in the successful completion of action plans for future on-the-job use.
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This activity is not and cannot be successfully implemented at large, unstructured conferences or conventions. |
