Baltimore City Public Schools could be in a crisis in the coming years as a glut of principals are poised to leave the profession.
It could be serious, but a nonprofit organization is working to find new principals who can be trained to motivate teachers and students to excel in an urban school setting.
New Leaders for New Schools, a national nonprofit operating in Baltimore; Memphis, Tenn.; Oakland, Calif.; Washington; Chicago and New York City, is recruiting and training would-be principals who will be ready for administration positions filled with new tools to build teams of teachers willing to push students.
“Close to 60 percent of Baltimore?s principals are eligible to retire,” said Peter Kannam, executive director of the NLNS program in Baltimore. “There is going to be a huge gap in leadership.”
To fill that gap with quality principals, Kannam?s group offers intensive training to candidates who complete a rigorous selection process. Only after a year of resident training are candidates considered for placement in leadership positions in Baltimore City Public Schools.
“What we know from research and what people know is that leadership matters,” Kannam said. “Quality leadership with the right vision and the ability to build the right team can have an impact on student achievement.”
The New Leaders program in Baltimore began in February 2005 after the national organizations approved the city?s request for assistance. The Abell Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Fund for Educational Excellence and a host of other national agencies, foundations and grant-making agencies provide funds for local training programs.
“It?s all about having a high-performing learning environment,” Kannam said.
The first group of principals already is working in schools, and the next group is involved in the NLNS residency program.
Half of those involved in the program already work in city schools, and the rest come from other districts, universities, private companies and nonprofit organizations.
Sonya Goodwyn, who left the corporate environment eight years ago after working in the hotel industry, is completing her residency at Thomas Johnson Elementary School. She made the switch to the classroom after seeing young people without a clear career path in front of them applying for jobs.
“That got me right where it hurt,” Goodwyn said. “I wanted to make sure that I was involved on the front end of the educational path, and I wanted to help mold individuals to make informed career choices.”
Her motivation for applying to the New Leaders for New Schools program was simple, she said.
“I want to be in an area where I am needed,” Goodwyn said. “I have a lot to offer and want to be in an area where the need is. I want to be in the city so students will know there is more outside of the walls of Baltimore.”
More information
» New Leaders for New Schools
200 E. North Ave., Room 316
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-371-0808
www.nlns.org
