NC State’s Northeast Leadership Academy

“There are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader” (Leithwood, et al. 2004).

   

NC State’s Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) serves Bertie, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Nash-Rocky Mount, Northampton, Roanoke Rapids, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Weldon City but is nationally recognized for its innovation and quality. In 2014, NELA was selected by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) to receive its Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation Program Award (one of only two programs nationally to receive this distinction). The UCEA is a consortium of the nation’s leading leadership preparation programs and is committed to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders. Its Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation Program Award was established to celebrate exemplary programs and encourage their development.

Since the first NELA cohort graduated in 2012, we have 13 Principals, 34 Assistant Principals and 8 graduates in other leadership roles. NELA graduates are making rapid school improvements. Table 1 below compares composite test scores for schools with NELA graduates as principals after one year (pre-post comparison).  

  Table 2 below compares composite test scores for schools with NELA graduates as assistant principals after one year (pre-post comparison).  

0  

10  

20  

30  

40  

50  

60  

70  

80  

School  A   School  B   School  C   School  D   School  E   School  F  

Percentage  of  Students  Scoring  at  or  Above  Level  

3  

Table  1:  NELA  Principals'  School  Achievement  Data  for  EOG/EOCs  

2012-­‐2013  (Pre  NELA  Principal)  2013-­‐2014  (With  NELA  Principal)  

 

Rapid  Improvements  and  Beating  the  Odds   The student achievement gains of the NELA principals are particularly impressive when you take into account the research on time to turnaround and the effects of a novice principal on student achievement. First, research shows it takes approximately five years to put a teaching staff in place as well as fully implement policies and practices that will positively impact the school’s performance,1 yet the NELA principals all documented notable improvements during their first year.

Second, principal turnover has significant negative effects on the achievement of students attending high poverty schools2. Research indicates that gains in student achievement in math are lower when a school has a new principal and the negative effect of new principals on student achievement is especially large when schools have a first time new principal (one without prior experience at other schools).3 The negative relationship between principal turnover (having a new principal) and achievement is stronger in failing schools, high poverty schools, and schools with more novice teachers (all of which are characteristics of the schools led by NELA principals).4 Students in failing, high poverty schools with high concentrations of novice teachers have reading and math achievement that is .02-.06 standard deviations lower in years when they have a new principal.                                                                                                                1  Seashore-Louis, et al. (2010)  2  Béteille,  Kalogrides,  &  Loeb  (2012).  3  All  the  NELA  principals  were  first  time  new  principals  4  Béteille,  Kalogrides,  &  Loeb  (2012)  

0  

10  

20  

30  

40  

50  

60  

70  

80  

School  A  

School  B  

School  C  

School  D  

School  E  

School  F  

School  G  

School  H  

School  I  

School  J  

School  K  

School  L  

School  M  

School  N  

School  O  

School  P  

School  Q  

School  R  

School  S  

School  T  

School  U  

School  V  

School  W  

School  X  

School  Y  

School  Z  

School  AA  Percentage  of  Students    Scoring  at  orAbove  Level  3  

Table  2:  NELA  Assistant  Principals'  School    Achievement  Data  for  EOGs/EOCs  

2012-­‐2013  (Pre  NELA  AP)  2013-­‐2014  (With  NELA  AP)  

The achievements of the NELA principals are particularly impressive when viewed with this research in mind. Typically, new principals experience a dip in scores, yet all the NELA principals had improvements in student achievement scores.

All NELA Principals Improved Student Performance…

But First Year Principals of Other National Programs Experience Performance Dips

New York City Leadership Academy’s New Principal Performance Dips

A CALDER study suggests that the performance drop associated with new principals is larger at the schools hiring NYCLA Aspiring Principal Program graduates and these relative performance trends are not reversed until 3 years later, and then only for English. (Clark, Martorell, Rockoff, 2009).

A study by RAND (sponsored by New Leaders) found similar student performance dips for students who had one year with a new, New Leaders principal.

Research clearly shows that principals are a key ingredient in the performance of their school,

especially if that school enrolls a large number of low performing and/or poor and minority

students. The research is also quite clear that new principals become more effective as they gain

experience.5 Therefore, we anticipate an even greater annual impact on student

achievement as the NELA principals gain more experience.  

A  Radically  Different  Principal  Preparation  Program    NELA’s program is radically different from traditional MSAs. The rigorous, research-based

program requires participants to demonstrate their leadership skills through solving authentic

school problems with the support of executive coaches. NELA teaches participants powerful

mindsets and skill sets that are changing the trajectory of historically low-performing schools.

Program experiences are customized to focus on turnaround principles for rural, low

performing, high-poverty schools and communities. Classes and trainings are held at sites in

northeastern NC.

Over $14 million dollars in external funding from a combination of philanthropic, state, and

federal grants has been secured to support the work of NELA, of which $6.7 million from the

USDOE is currently supporting the latest iterations of the project, NELA 2.0 and NELA-DST.

In addition to the UCEA award, NELA has been recognized at the local, state, and national

levels by organizations at the vanguard of educational leadership preparation as well as in in

journal publications and by media outlets including:

• Education Week

o http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/08/04/37rural.h29.html?tkn=VLLF39O

BNrzT9ezptAMNBnHC1YJrGsoFFRFR&cmp=clp-edweek and

o http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rural_education/2013/10/nc_state_university_win

s_grant_to_expand_training_for_rural_school_leaders.html

• The Center for American Progress

o http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/07/01/93015/the-

changing-role-of-the-principal/

• Planning and Changing

o http://education.illinoisstate.edu/planning/articles/vol43.shtml

• UCEA Review                                                                                                                5  (Beteille, Kalogrides and Loeb 2011, Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012, Clark, Martorell and Rockoff 2009, Coelli and Green Forthcoming, Seashore-Louis, et al. 2010).  

o Volume 54 Number 2, Summer, 2013

   Staying  the  Course As a Land-Grant university, NC State has a unique mission and commitment to serve the educational needs of our state by providing access to continuing education and professional development to transform lives and provide leadership to the state. Therefore, NELA will continue to deliver one of America’s top preparation programs to individuals committed to be exception leaders for NC’s schools. The next cohort of NELA’s MSA program will begin Summer 2016.

“Some folks talk about coming out here to help our schools but they seldom deliver or stay long enough to make an impact but not NC State.

You all are helping us in impactful ways…most importantly – helping us get the right leaders in place.”

~ NELA District Superintendent