Charter school leaders are responsible for significant operational oversight, in addition to academic oversight. Charter leaders also need to be able to understand and monitor how varying state and local policy issues can impact their school. Therefore, aspiring charter school leaders need training that looks different than traditional leadership training offered by schools of education.
Currently, very few of these programs exist. One such university-based program is the Charter and Autonomous School Leader Academy (CASLA) at California State, Dominguez Hills, which launched in 2011. CASLA is specifically “designed to help aspiring charter school leaders discover and develop those leadership capacities which will empower them to live out their school’s mission.” Similarly, the Georgia Charter Schools Association, in partnership with Kennesaw State University and Lake Oconee Academy, developed Charter Leader, an Ed.S. program “for individuals interested in educational entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on leadership within the charter sector.” The program’s first cohort began studies in June 2012. What separates these programs from many existing educational leadership programs is the nature of the topics covered. For example, CASLA covers six “capacities of charter school leadership,” including: strategic, human, instructional, operational, legal, and equity. What is also different is the manner in which these programs are providing training. The CASLA program includes a boot camp retreat during the summer, followed by a series of in depth modules with meetings one night per week online and one weekend per month in person, and a mentor throughout. The modules are built around real, practical issues that may arise in charter schools. The Charter Leader program requires an individual induction plan outlining the candidate’s performance-based projects each semester. Candidates implement these plans in their schools, with the support of university faculty and a mentor. For both programs, hands-on experience is key, and building the specific skills and knowledge required to run a charter school is a clear focus. Interested colleges and universities can support the growth of the public charter school sector by providing the type of training mentioned above, which will provide aspiring leaders with the complement of skills and experience necessary to lead high performing public charter schools from the start. Though needed by the rising generation of school leaders, this type of education is offered at few universities. With such high demand for new charter schools, opportunities abound for those interested in leading. Proper training will help ensure the success of new leaders. Moreover, as autonomy gets pushed closer to the school level, as has happened with principal empowerment reforms in cities like New York City and Washington, D.C., the ability to lead all elements of school academics and operations will be important for all public school leaders in traditional and charter schools. By offering practical, relevant, project-based programs, universities will be able to reach and train the next generation of school leaders in a manner suited to the needs of our evolving public education system. Photo credit: Image via CASLA website
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