Expectations for Fellows
The year-long NELA Principal Residency will prepare Fellows to develop strong interpersonal relationships, diagnose student learning and effective teaching, model reflective practice, and master leadership skills and dispositions that support school improvement efforts. This year-long residency is semester-based. Each Fellow is assigned to a different school each semester to increase their experiences and learning opportunities. The Principal Residency is purposefully designed to immerse Fellows in learning opportunities and activities to help them gain proficiency in the North Carolina Standards for School Executives.
The overarching objective of the NELA Principal Residency is for Fellows to demonstrate and document both experiences with and proficiency in all NC Standards for School Executives and the NELA Anchors (Relationships, Process/Management, Diagnostic).
Fellows need to learn all functional areas of the schools, take initiative for own learning, and make themselves useful to the schools. The experience should be reciprocal in that the Fellows will benefit from their own learning and the schools will benefit from the Fellow's work in the school.
Fellows should engage in both big picture and "grunt work." They should actively seek feedback about their performance, see things from other's point of view and be willing to experiment with new/unfamiliar approaches. Fellows should prepare for meetings with Principal Mentors and Executive Coaches so they focus on learning goals and objectives the Fellow most needs to address. The Fellow should actively monitor relationships with their Principal Mentor and Executive Coach and discuss with them any potential problems as soon as they arise.
NC Standards for School Executives with Related Experiences chart will be completed by Fellows and their Principal Mentors and Executive Coaches. This chart is titled: Individual Leadership Learning Plan (ILLP) for NELA Fellows.
The overarching objective of the NELA Principal Residency is for Fellows to demonstrate and document both experiences with and proficiency in all NC Standards for School Executives and the NELA Anchors (Relationships, Process/Management, Diagnostic).
Fellows need to learn all functional areas of the schools, take initiative for own learning, and make themselves useful to the schools. The experience should be reciprocal in that the Fellows will benefit from their own learning and the schools will benefit from the Fellow's work in the school.
Fellows should engage in both big picture and "grunt work." They should actively seek feedback about their performance, see things from other's point of view and be willing to experiment with new/unfamiliar approaches. Fellows should prepare for meetings with Principal Mentors and Executive Coaches so they focus on learning goals and objectives the Fellow most needs to address. The Fellow should actively monitor relationships with their Principal Mentor and Executive Coach and discuss with them any potential problems as soon as they arise.
NC Standards for School Executives with Related Experiences chart will be completed by Fellows and their Principal Mentors and Executive Coaches. This chart is titled: Individual Leadership Learning Plan (ILLP) for NELA Fellows.
The NELA Principal Residency has eight key components:
The Fellow's daily work in schools will include but not be limited to:
a) experiencing all functional areas of the school;
b) completing the Problem of Practice Project and Individualized Leadership Learning Plan that is tied to authentic school improvement efforts;
c) evaluating teachers and participating in crucial conversations;
d) utilizing data to focus on improving student learning.
Principal Residency Site Attendance Policy
Fellows are expected to be working in their Principal Residency school for the entire school-day (and beyond) every district workday. If a Fellow misses work for any reason (illness or personal), they are required to contact their Principal Mentor, their Executive Coach, and the NELA Associate Director, Dr. Lesley Wirt ([email protected]), as far in advance as possible. All absences must be documented on the Weekly Log. Excessive absences (more than four per semester) may result in a deduction in wages for each excessive absence and may be grounds for dismissal from the Principal Residency and termination from NELA. If you anticipate an absence, you should contact your Principal Mentor, Executive Coach, and Dr. Wirt at least one week in advance. Following an absence, the Fellow should work with their Principal Mentor to make arrangements for making up any missed work.
Outside Responsibilities
During the principal residency, the Fellow’s first responsibility (outside of their family) is their school and work with NELA. The Principal Residency year will be a time of immense growth and will be time-intensive. Therefore, Fellows should avoid any outside responsibilities that interfere with the NELA principal residency responsibilities and expectations.
2. Weekly Day-Long NELA Sessions
The weekly sessions will focus primarily on new coursework and new learning, but will also include time for structured reflections on practice from Principal Residency experiences. Experiences will include Operation NELA's (case-based role playing) to practice leadership skills.
NELA Sessions Attendance Policy
Fellows are expected to be in attendance at the start of each session and attend the full session. The instructor(s) will keep a record of attendance. Fellows who have two absences will have their final grade diminished by one letter grade (e.g., A- becomes a B-). Absences include both anticipated absences that are detailed in the University policies on attendance (e.g., official university functions, court dates, military duty, personal emergency, and religious observances), and emergency absences (e.g., illness and injury certified by an attending physician, and death or serious illness of family member when documented appropriately). (NOTE: If you attend only one half or less of a class, you cannot count that as a full class, but only as some percentage of the class.).
If a Fellow will miss a NELA session for any reason (illness or personal), they are required to contact the NELA Associate Director, Dr. Lesley Wirt (lesley_wirt @ncsu.edu) as far in advance as possible. All absences must be documented on your weekly log. Excessive absences (more than 2 per semester) may be grounds for dismissal from the principal residency and termination from NELA. If you anticipate an absence, you should contact your instructors and Dr. Wirt at least one week in advance.
Following an absence, the Fellow should work with instructors to make arrangements for making up any missed work. The Fellow must obtain missed materials, notes, and assignments. We recommend that you contact a classmate in advance of your absence and ask them to gather any handouts and take notes for you. Standards of courtesy require that you notify the instructor in advance of any absence. Notification can be accomplished through e-mail or voice mail.
If you receive prior approval from the professor, you can arrange for someone to videotape the class, watch the videotape, and then write a reflection over it (and in most cases do an additional assignment), and count these activities as an attended session. However, you can only do this for one session and this option can only be used if you receive prior permission from the instructor.
Absence from class for a religious holy day: A Fellow who is absent from a session for a religious observance may complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence, if proper notice has been given. The deadline for notification of such an absence is fourteen days prior to the class absence or the first class day that falls within the first two weeks of the semester.
3. Specialized Training Experiences
To enhance the NELA curriculum, from time-to-time Fellows will participate in specialized training sessions. NELA Specialized Training Attendance Policy: NELA expects Fellows to be in attendance at the start of each training session and attend the full session. Fellows who miss a training session must make arrangements to have the same/similar training provided to them at their own expense and within a reasonable amount of time. Excessive absences from specialized training (more than 1 per semester) and failure to make-up any missed training may be grounds for dismissal from the Principal Residency and termination from NELA.
4. Complete All Phases of Principal Residency Problem of Practice
5. Participation with NELA Principal Mentors in the Distinguished Leaders in Practice (DLP) Program
DLP allows participants to critically examine the meaning and application of Distinguished school leadership through a problem-based, real-world approach. In DLP, practicing North Carolina principals are provided as models of exemplary school leadership allowing participants to study the behaviors, attitudes and competencies that define a Distinguished school leader. The DLP program has customized its curriculum for NELA and will utilize face-to-face, online, and small-group sharing sessions. Through DLP, the Principal Mentor and the Fellow will discuss best practices on how to:
6. School visits
Site visits to other schools, central office, and schools at different levels (including feeder schools for your primary internship site), and a possible NELA trip to a nationally recognized school are encouraged. As a part of the developmental projects, visits need to be to high-performing schools.
7. Continuous contact with NELA Executive Coaches
Fellows are expected to initiate contact and stay in contact with their coaches via e-mail, phone, in person and/or Skype. Occasional evening sessions may be needed to facilitate this contact. If you have a concern about your Executive Coach or Principal Mentor, please begin by discussing the concern with the individual involved. If you fail to reach a resolution to the problem, contact Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli or Dr. Lesley Wirt.
8. Documentation of Experiences and Learning
During the Residency year, Fellows will collect and create documentation that assesses the professional growth of Fellows in their Principal Residency setting. This evidence will include the Individual Leadership Learning Plan framed around the NC Standards for School Executives and artifacts and corresponding narrative to demonstrate proficiency. Documentation will include:
- Daily work in schools;
- Weekly day-long sessions on Tuesdays and some Saturdays;
- Specialized training experiences;
- Principal Residency/Internship Problem of Practice (POP);
- Participation with NELA Principal Mentors in the Distinguished Leaders in Practice (DLP) program;
- Visits to other schools, central office, and schools at different levels (visits to feeder schools for your primary Residency site recommended);
- Contact with NELA Executive Coaches which may include occasional evening sessions; and
- Documentation of experiences and learning.
The Fellow's daily work in schools will include but not be limited to:
a) experiencing all functional areas of the school;
b) completing the Problem of Practice Project and Individualized Leadership Learning Plan that is tied to authentic school improvement efforts;
c) evaluating teachers and participating in crucial conversations;
d) utilizing data to focus on improving student learning.
Principal Residency Site Attendance Policy
Fellows are expected to be working in their Principal Residency school for the entire school-day (and beyond) every district workday. If a Fellow misses work for any reason (illness or personal), they are required to contact their Principal Mentor, their Executive Coach, and the NELA Associate Director, Dr. Lesley Wirt ([email protected]), as far in advance as possible. All absences must be documented on the Weekly Log. Excessive absences (more than four per semester) may result in a deduction in wages for each excessive absence and may be grounds for dismissal from the Principal Residency and termination from NELA. If you anticipate an absence, you should contact your Principal Mentor, Executive Coach, and Dr. Wirt at least one week in advance. Following an absence, the Fellow should work with their Principal Mentor to make arrangements for making up any missed work.
Outside Responsibilities
During the principal residency, the Fellow’s first responsibility (outside of their family) is their school and work with NELA. The Principal Residency year will be a time of immense growth and will be time-intensive. Therefore, Fellows should avoid any outside responsibilities that interfere with the NELA principal residency responsibilities and expectations.
2. Weekly Day-Long NELA Sessions
The weekly sessions will focus primarily on new coursework and new learning, but will also include time for structured reflections on practice from Principal Residency experiences. Experiences will include Operation NELA's (case-based role playing) to practice leadership skills.
NELA Sessions Attendance Policy
Fellows are expected to be in attendance at the start of each session and attend the full session. The instructor(s) will keep a record of attendance. Fellows who have two absences will have their final grade diminished by one letter grade (e.g., A- becomes a B-). Absences include both anticipated absences that are detailed in the University policies on attendance (e.g., official university functions, court dates, military duty, personal emergency, and religious observances), and emergency absences (e.g., illness and injury certified by an attending physician, and death or serious illness of family member when documented appropriately). (NOTE: If you attend only one half or less of a class, you cannot count that as a full class, but only as some percentage of the class.).
If a Fellow will miss a NELA session for any reason (illness or personal), they are required to contact the NELA Associate Director, Dr. Lesley Wirt (lesley_wirt @ncsu.edu) as far in advance as possible. All absences must be documented on your weekly log. Excessive absences (more than 2 per semester) may be grounds for dismissal from the principal residency and termination from NELA. If you anticipate an absence, you should contact your instructors and Dr. Wirt at least one week in advance.
Following an absence, the Fellow should work with instructors to make arrangements for making up any missed work. The Fellow must obtain missed materials, notes, and assignments. We recommend that you contact a classmate in advance of your absence and ask them to gather any handouts and take notes for you. Standards of courtesy require that you notify the instructor in advance of any absence. Notification can be accomplished through e-mail or voice mail.
If you receive prior approval from the professor, you can arrange for someone to videotape the class, watch the videotape, and then write a reflection over it (and in most cases do an additional assignment), and count these activities as an attended session. However, you can only do this for one session and this option can only be used if you receive prior permission from the instructor.
Absence from class for a religious holy day: A Fellow who is absent from a session for a religious observance may complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence, if proper notice has been given. The deadline for notification of such an absence is fourteen days prior to the class absence or the first class day that falls within the first two weeks of the semester.
3. Specialized Training Experiences
To enhance the NELA curriculum, from time-to-time Fellows will participate in specialized training sessions. NELA Specialized Training Attendance Policy: NELA expects Fellows to be in attendance at the start of each training session and attend the full session. Fellows who miss a training session must make arrangements to have the same/similar training provided to them at their own expense and within a reasonable amount of time. Excessive absences from specialized training (more than 1 per semester) and failure to make-up any missed training may be grounds for dismissal from the Principal Residency and termination from NELA.
4. Complete All Phases of Principal Residency Problem of Practice
5. Participation with NELA Principal Mentors in the Distinguished Leaders in Practice (DLP) Program
DLP allows participants to critically examine the meaning and application of Distinguished school leadership through a problem-based, real-world approach. In DLP, practicing North Carolina principals are provided as models of exemplary school leadership allowing participants to study the behaviors, attitudes and competencies that define a Distinguished school leader. The DLP program has customized its curriculum for NELA and will utilize face-to-face, online, and small-group sharing sessions. Through DLP, the Principal Mentor and the Fellow will discuss best practices on how to:
- Use data to identify needs and establish priority goals;
- Align all school improvement efforts to the vision, mission, and goals of the school;
- Maximize teaching and learning;
- Create a student-focused culture;
- Connect with the external community and lead and manage change.
6. School visits
Site visits to other schools, central office, and schools at different levels (including feeder schools for your primary internship site), and a possible NELA trip to a nationally recognized school are encouraged. As a part of the developmental projects, visits need to be to high-performing schools.
7. Continuous contact with NELA Executive Coaches
Fellows are expected to initiate contact and stay in contact with their coaches via e-mail, phone, in person and/or Skype. Occasional evening sessions may be needed to facilitate this contact. If you have a concern about your Executive Coach or Principal Mentor, please begin by discussing the concern with the individual involved. If you fail to reach a resolution to the problem, contact Dr. Bonnie Fusarelli or Dr. Lesley Wirt.
8. Documentation of Experiences and Learning
During the Residency year, Fellows will collect and create documentation that assesses the professional growth of Fellows in their Principal Residency setting. This evidence will include the Individual Leadership Learning Plan framed around the NC Standards for School Executives and artifacts and corresponding narrative to demonstrate proficiency. Documentation will include:
- Weekly Logs
- Monthly Logs
- Electronic Portfolio (personal Weebly site)
- Individual Leadership Learning Plan
- Artifacts (these will be the bulk of your evidence for each standard and substandard)