Preparing the principals of tomorrow
Partnership between UND, North Dakota school districts prepares 10 district employees to become school leaders
Earlier this summer, the UND College of Education & Human Development’s Teaching & Leadership master’s degree program received a $150,000 award from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction’s Aspiring Principals’ Pipeline Grant in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor’s competitive Registered Apprenticeship Program.
The grant follows the framework of Grow Your Own, a state and nationwide initiative that addresses teacher and leadership shortages in public schools.
It will provide 10 North Dakota Public School employees — each handpicked by superintendents in Grand Forks, Grafton, Mandan and North Border school districts — tuition-free enrollment in CEHD’s Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program.
Additionally, the students will be eligible to receive a K-12 principal credential and Mastery Learning Graduate Certificate, which will prepare them for leadership roles in their districts.
The four-semester program will prepare students for principalship through a hybrid of online coursework and apprenticeships with mentor principals in their school districts.
Closing leadership gaps in North Dakota schools
Laura Link, associate professor and director of the Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program, spearheaded the grant application. She says that preparing teachers and staff in local schools for principalship is an urgent need in North Dakota.
“We know that nearly 38% of principals are expected to leave the profession in the next three years, and the national average tenure for principals is approximately four years,” Link said. “There’s a high financial and school community cost of replacing a principal, especially our most effective ones, and this grant program will help us build a principal pipeline to proactively address the impending school leadership gap that’s coming in North Dakota.”
Terry Brenner, superintendent of Grand Forks Public Schools and instructor at CEHD, agreed, noting that he’s seen a decline in the number of qualified individuals applying for leadership positions in the state’s schools.
“I think one of the goals of this program is, to use a sports metaphor, to create a deeper bench,” Brenner said. “When I became a principal in the 1990s, there would be 32 applicants applying for one position. Now, we’re lucky to have three to five solid candidates, people who are qualified for the position, apply.”
Brenner, who has five district employees enrolled, called the grant program a “triple crown win” for the students, school districts and University. He cited the program’s emphasis on one-on-one mentorship as an excellent way to prepare students for the realities of a principalship.
Link, who was once a school and district leader herself, said integrating increased mentorship and experiential learning into the existing Teaching & Leadership degree framework was crucial to the program’s goal of preparing students for principalship.
“There are limits to classroom-based principal preparation, because it isn’t until the students gain real-time leadership experiences in schools that they get the full contextual understanding of working with all stakeholders, including guiding teachers, supporting students and communicating with parents, that truly equips them for school and district leadership work.”
Link added that students will have regular and ongoing one-on-one contact with their assigned mentors, ensuring that they learn about the unique expectations and challenges their districts face year-round.
Increasing accessibility for leaders of tomorrow
Link emphasized that the grant’s financial assistance greatly improved the program’s accessibility, allowing them to recruit some of the most qualified future principals in the state.
“The financial barrier is a huge one for teachers who want to continue their education, and that resonates,” Link said. “Every dollar that we are awarded from this grant goes right to the students, where it can make the biggest impact. We have a lot of untapped teacher talent in the state and, given the right financial and program support, we can cultivate that talent through purposeful development and increase the number of highly qualified principals ready to effectively lead North Dakota’s schools.”
Becca Lord, an instructional design coach who has worked in the Grand Forks School District for a decade, said this grant program provides the needed financial and learning support.
“Finding out that we have this grant has been a huge relief,” Lord said. “The money aspect was always in the back of my mind. I had some plans to do some extra work over the summer, but I also wanted to focus on classes and homework. It really took a major stressor out of the equation for me.”
Lord says she’s learned a lot during her time in the program already. A recent class on school-community relations, for example, has given her a fresh perspective on how programs that connect public schools and other state institutions have the potential to bolster education across the state.
“Partnerships allow rich experiences to happen,” Lord said. “Partnerships like the one between UND and our school districts strengthen community relations and can help us find better ways to support the students and teachers in our school districts.”
Support a key factor for students
The grant program’s comprehensive approach to preparing principals was also a draw for some students.
For example, Justine Masloski, an assistant vice principal in the North Border School District, entered the program excited about the potential of its hybrid approach.
“I’m really excited for this grant and the program,” she said. “There are often times when I go to my principal or superintendent to ask for advice on issues that come up because I just haven’t had the same education that they did. I think this program will help to fill in some of those gaps.”
Moreover, Masloski said she appreciates the chance to connect with employees from other school districts, believing that her cohort will be a valuable resource as they transition to leadership roles in their respective schools.
“I’m really looking forward to building relationships with my colleagues, because I know that after this program is finished, things will come up that we weren’t able to cover in four semesters,” she said. “We’re in a profession where having a support system makes a huge difference, and I know these relationships will help get me through the next 10 or 15 years.”
A ‘rewarding partnership’
UND’s Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program is uniquely positioned to guide these students toward the next stages of their careers, Link said. The program’s innovative curriculum, experienced faculty and history of successful partnerships make it a “standout” in its ability to prepare students for the realities of the principalship and beyond.
“UND is the ideal place for such school district partnership work to be taking place, because our professors have extensive experience leading schools and districts themselves,” Link said. “This also helps to bridge the gap between higher education structures and K-12 needs.”
And though the students have just started, Link and fellow instructors already see the potential for this cohort to become future leaders in North Dakota.
“These students have been diligent and are exceeding expectations,” Link said. “This grant is a strategic initiative to recruit and retain our top K-12 educator talent in North Dakota, and it’s generated a lot of excitement and value for all stakeholders. It’s really been incredibly rewarding for me to give back to these deserving teachers.”
