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First group begins journey through new Teacher Leader Certification Academy
The Leadership Institute of Riverside County (LIRC) in partnership with the Teacher Support Center (TSC), both part of the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE), has launched a groundbreaking leadership certification program for teachers that will start in September 2011.
Fifty-three teachers from Riverside County’s public school system have successfully completed the rigorous application and interview process and been assigned to one of three groups starting the program — two at the RCOE main office and one at the Desert Sands Unified School District staff development center.
The purpose of the Academy is to help teachers learn the art of “leadership through influence” with students, colleagues, parents, and administration. The curriculum for the Teacher Leader Certification Academy (TLCA) is based on the recently released national Teacher Leader Model Standards.
Led by Dr. Lanelle Gordin and Wendy Kerr, both administrators with RCOE, the TLCA is a two-year program designed to help participants implement leadership standards and ground them in the five practices of exemplary leadership. This leadership model can easily be applied to those who lead in the classroom, not from position, but from influence. While teachers have traditionally enjoyed professional development in instructional strategies, coaching, mentoring, and other educational processes, it has not been the norm for them to receive professional development in effective leadership. However, with the increased emphasis on teachers as leaders of students in current national and state policy efforts, it is becoming exceedingly apparent that teachers must be schooled in effective leadership. Over the course of the two years, each participant will complete a “Capstone Project” that should demonstrate mastery of the leadership standards and growth in leadership practice.
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young said, “The Teacher Leader Certification Academy is an innovative and leading edge program that is completely aligned with the growing movement toward validation of the teacher’s role as leader. The response from teachers and administrators alike has been enthusiastic and we expect it to be a great success.” Fred Jorgensen, a teacher from Mountain View Middle School in the Moreno Valley Unified School District, said, “The Teacher Leader Certification Academy is on the cutting edge of the future in education. It will offer the best of both worlds—teachers continue to do what they love, which is to teach, while expanding their leadership skills.”
Plans are already underway to start new TLCA groups in the fall of 2012. Applications will be available March 2012 with interviews in June and notice of acceptance in July. Riverside County teachers are leading the legacy of teacher leadership.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us |
