RALEIGH — Grants from BB&T and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation are helping support efforts led by the North Carolina New Schools Project to hone the skills of leaders of innovative secondary schools across the state. BB&T is providing $300,000 over three years for leadership development; the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is giving $130,000 over two years for the same effort.
“These funds will help us provide the kind of coaching and support that principals want and need to be top-notch instructional leaders for their schools,” said Jodi Anderson, director of the North Carolina Center for Education Leadership, a part of the NC New Schools Project.
The funding from BB&T will allow NCNSP to continue to strengthen its leadership development efforts with principals through a number of approaches, including direct support and guidance from trained leadership coaches and through structured professional development.
The grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation will help fund a new initiative to train and certify NCNSP leadership coaches through the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro to administer 360-degree assessments, a feedback tool to help school administrators better understand their approaches to leadership and hone their skills as leaders. The results will be used for professional development purposes, not for evaluating job performance. The assessments cover 16 separate leadership competencies, including change management, building collaborative relationships, strategic perspective and leading employees. The results will also allow NCNSP leadership coaches to tailor their professional development to the specific needs of principals.
The grant from BB&T will also help cover the cost of NCNSP’s first Summer Leadership Institute, a 3-day event designed to provide principals with intensive leadership development support.
A portion of the grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is designated to support leadership development in a number of traditional high schools that are included in a new initiative to expand successful approaches used by the state’s early college high schools.
The North Carolina New Schools Project is a statewide public-private partnership that sparks sustainable innovation in North Carolina secondary schools. Its vision is to ensure every student graduates ready for college, careers and life. The North Carolina New Schools Project partners with school districts, businesses and higher education to link innovation in education to the emerging economy.