The Boston Principal Fellows (BPF) curriculum integrates the theory behind Boston's Seven Essentials of Whole School Improvement with the knowledge and skills required to implement them and serve as an instructional leader. The curriculum is addressed through the three elements of the Fellowship:

1. a year-long residency with one of Boston's most effective principals;



2. 90 days of course work and seminars; and



3. membership in a cohort of learners who aspire to be principals.

Fellows synthesize their learning by leading significant teaching and learning initiatives in their residency school, completing authentic course assignments that address real school needs or issues they will face as new principals, and designing and facilitating professional development for the BPF cohort.

Seven Essentials of Whole School Improvement

Core Essential: Effective instructional practice and a collaborative school climate lead to improved student learning.

Essential: Student work and data drive instruction and professional development.

Essential: Investments in professional development improve instruction.

Essential: Shared leadership sustains instructional improvement.

Essential: Effective resource use supports instructional improvement and improved student learning.

Essential: Schools partner with families and community to support student learning.

Essential: High levels of effectiveness, efficiency and equity in our operations

The curriculum is organized on four Cornerstones and one Capstone. The Cornerstones and Capstone highlight the most important aspects of the curriculum, and the interconnection of the Essentials, and the Dimensions of Principal Leadership. The Cornerstones and Capstone, which shape the coursework and residency, are described below.

Cornerstone & Capstone Initiatives

Leadership and Learning Capstone (LLC)

This capstone is the umbrella under which all of the cornerstones and programs components rest. It ties together all ten of Boston's Dimensions of Principal Leadership and asks fellows to synthesize the leadership required in each of the cornerstones into an overarching theory of school leadership. By integrating personal strengths, an understanding of leadership theory and the Boston public school context, as well as gaining knowledge about and practical experience in bringing about instructional improvement, fellows develop and articulate their own personal theory of leadership and action strategy. Fellows build this understanding through reflecting in action on the leadership that they observe and demonstrate in the residency and through a focused study of selected Boston Public Schools leaders.

It is in this capstone that fellows identify their strengths and areas for development as leaders. They customize the fellowship to address their specific learning needs, and continually track and reflect on their key leadership learning, experiences, and challenges throughout the fellowship year. Through this capstone fellows continually reflect on and refine their understanding of leadership, their development as leaders, and their theory of effective school leadership.

The elements of the capstone are:

1. Self-Assessment: Using a cyclical self-assessment process, fellows tailor their experience to the dimensions they want to further develop, thereby customizing the fellowship to meet their needs. The process includes a self-assessment, facilitated assessment discussions that include the fellow, mentor and School Leadership Institute staff, and the fellow's development and tracking of a Learning Contract.



2. Journal Writing: Throughout the fellowship, fellows keep a journal in which they reflect on their observations and experiences, apply the theory introduced in class, and wrestle with the questions they face as they prepare for urban school leadership. There is no requirement that journal entries be shared, but entries are drawn upon to support completion of coursework and assignments.



3. Coaching, Consultation, and Critical Friendship: School Leadership Institute staff visits fellows in their residency regularly. Fellows and SLI staff co-construct the focus of these meetings. The meetings offer one-on-one program support and guidance, and regular observations of fellows in action, with time for debriefing and feedback.



4. Portfolio/Toolkit: To document their work in the residency and its connection to the program cornerstones and capstone, each fellow compiles a portfolio. Organized by cornerstones and capstone, the portfolio provides fellows the opportunity to share their work in the residency, over the course of the year, and reflect on it in the context of the program curriculum.



5. Final Leadership and Learning Capstone Presentation: The final culminating project of the fellowship is a public presentation by each fellow that documents the learning over the course of the year and articulates the fellow's theory of school leadership, and how it will guide him/her in the principalship. This presentation is a comprehensive assessment of the fellowship and is a requirement of graduation.

Cornerstones

1. Analyzing Instruction and Supporting Improvement (AISI) Cornerstone

   Effective school leaders know good instruction when they see it, and they are skilled at analyzing teaching and supporting teachers to improve their practice. They know how students learn and make meaning, and they know what instructional strategies are most effective in supporting student engagement and learning. Effective principals know how to talk to teachers about their practice and provide support in a way that sets a high standard and encourages every teacher to meet it.

   The Analyzing Instruction and Supporting Improvement cornerstone addresses the following Dimensions of Principal Leadership:

   • School Culture and Climate
   • Learning and Teaching
   • Professional Development
   • Supervision and Evaluation

   The primary elements of this cornerstone are:

   1. Classroom Observations: Fellows build a common understanding of effective instruction and the learning process through course work. They then apply and deepen this understanding as they develop relationships with several teachers, who represent the spectrum of teaching experience, skill, and content areas. Using methodologies taught in coursework, fellows collaborate with these teachers, observe in their classrooms, talk with their students, and take literal notes. Fellows talk with the teachers to understand the choices they make in planning and delivering instruction and they provide informal feedback to the teachers about their instruction and how they might improve it.
   
   
   
   2. Teacher Supervision and Evaluations: Through a combination of course work and participation in their school's evaluation process, fellows learn how to support teacher using the BPS evaluation process and conduct joint evaluations with the principal to assess teacher practice and its alignment to the school's instructional priorities. This work is conducted in accordance with Boston Teacher Union rules.
   
   
   
   3. Learning Walks: Fellows conduct Learning Walks in schools individually, with mentors, and with cohort members. Learning Walks help fellows develop their skills of analyzing instruction and organizations and providing feedback to teachers, principals, and school communities. Learning Walks focus on the major elements of BPF course work and effective school leadership in Boston e.g. support for English language learners and Special Needs students, literacy and math instruction, learning theory, race and culture, school culture and climate, and family and community engagement.



2. Family and Community Engagement (FCE) Cornerstone

   Effective school leaders understand and deeply value the resources that families and community members have to offer schools. They understand that schools exist in communities and that effective schools understand and respond to their surroundings. Effective principals think creatively about how to leverage the resources and talents of families and communities to support the school and student learning. They also work tirelessly to make parents and community members feel welcome in the school, treating them as equal and invaluable partners in the work of education. The result of this work is vibrant schools that offer programming for families and the community and benefit from the community resources.

   The Family and Community Cornerstone addresses the following dimensions of principal leadership:

   • School Culture and Climate
   
   
   
   • Learning and Teaching
   
   
   
   • Family and Community Engagement

   The primary elements of this cornerstone are:

   1. School Site Council: By serving on the School Site Council (SSC) fellows have the opportunity to observe how the school engages families and the community in the work of the school and decision-making. Participation throughout the school year illustrates how the council is involved in planning, programming, fund raising, and evaluation.
   
   
   
   2. Family and Community Engagement Initiative: Fellows assume leadership responsibility for enhancing family and community engagement in an area that has been defined as a priority for the school. Fellows build their skills of research, needs assessment, asset mapping, development and implementation of an action plan, working with a diverse population, and facilitating and mobilizing teams through this project.



3. Managing People and Organizations (MPO) Cornerstone

   Effective school leaders understand the importance of management in realizing the vision for their schools. They understand that all management starts with themselves: their core values, beliefs and behaviors, and their ability to reflect on them and obtain feedback from others. Effective managers work with people productively, understanding that learning can only happen in schools where students and teachers feel safe, valued, and empowered. Understanding the power of surroundings in creating a school's culture, they maintain an inviting physical plant where students, teachers, and families feel welcome. Effective managers use budget and human resource functions to support student learning, and they know how to work beyond their school, within the larger school system, to meet their school's needs.

   This cornerstone addresses the following dimensions of principal leadership:

   • Managing Self
   
   
   
   • Resilience
   
   
   
   • School Culture and Climate
   
   
   
   • Shared Leadership
   
   
   
   • Resources

   The primary elements of this cornerstone are:

   1. Managing Self: The fellowship requires participants to balance multiple responsibilities and roles, and to develop the intrapersonal skills - resilience, dealing with disappointment, persistence, problem-solving, ethical behavior - required of effective principals. Fellows build these skills as they:
      
      
      • Assess their skills and performance, and develop and implement learning plans to support further development;
      
      
      
      • Hear and learn from feedback;
      
      
      
      • Consider and reflect on presentation of self in the residency, course work, and cohort, and the implications for individual and group success.
   
   
   2. Leading and Facilitating Groups: Fellows enter into a new school and into a cohort of colleagues, and must develop the relationships required to create a productive and supportive working environment. This provides fellows the opportunity to refine their skills of working with others, managing conflict, and developing the resiliency required in the principalship as they:
      
      
      • Run effective meetings;
      
      
      
      • Lead groups and substantive elements of the school's work;
      
      
      
      • Delegate responsibility, and create systems to manage work flow;
      
      
      
      • Empower colleagues to own their work;
      
      
      
      • Manage interpersonal conflicts.
   
   
   3. Managing Within the School: As fellows work in a school throughout an entire school year they have the opportunity to participate in the cyclical management functions that principals use to drive instructional priorities. Through this process fellows:
      
      
      • Assist in developing the school's budget for the coming school year and participate in the Probable Organization process, which aligns financial and human resources;
      
      
      
      • Serve on the Personnel Subcommittee of the School Site Council (SSC) to learn the strategies and intricacies of recruiting and hiring staff;
      
      
      
      • Learn about labor relations, school law, student and employee discipline, and management of school operations through course work, group projects, and residency experiences that introduce the operations issues, and staff at Court Street.
   
   
   
   4. Managing Within the District: Fellows, by definition of their role, have the opportunity to see how principals and schools operate within a district, work effectively with other schools, school leaders, and central office. Fellows have the chance to study these relationships as they:
      
      
      • Work with Court Street staff to address authentic management and operations issues in the residency school e.g. student transportation, facilities management, purchasing and budget;
      • Participate in district and cluster meetings.
   
   
   5. Serving as a Critical Friend to Your Mentor and Residency School: As new members of the communities of their residency schools, Fellows bring fresh eyes to the schools' work. They also bring their learning from the fellowship coursework. As a result, they are often able to see ways to support school improvement that may not be visible to the principal and staff. As part of building interpersonal leadership and organizational analysis skills, Fellows conduct and present a critical analysis of some aspect of their residency schools' work to their mentor.



4. Scaling Up Instructional Improvement (SUII) Cornerstone

   Effective school leaders know how to scale up instructional improvement efforts to reach every classroom, every teacher, and every student. They lead schools that are driven by a culture of achievement. Effective principals understand and implement a continuous cycle of improvement that is driven by student performance data, which inform instructional priorities, professional development, classroom implementation, and student learning. This cycle is continually refined based on student performance results. Effective principals know how to look at the interplay of organizational structure and culture with all of the school's work. They know how to diagnose a situation in a school, shape a school's culture, and redesign the organization, as necessary. Understanding the change process, effective principals support staff through change, and know how to set up systems and structures that provide teachers and students with the supports they need to succeed.

   The Scaling Up Instructional Improvement cornerstone addresses the following Dimensions of Principal Leadership:

   • School Culture and Climate
   
   
   
   • Data
   
   
   
   • Professional Development
   
   
   
   • Shared Leadership
   
   
   

   The primary elements of this cornerstone are:

   1. Organizational Analysis of Residency School: Fellows analyze some aspect of the school that is not working optimally for student learning, by drawing on various frameworks and working with the mentor and the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT). They present their analysis to the ILT and school for possible inclusion in the Whole School Improvement Plan.
   
   
   
   2. Team Site Visits and Analysis of Another School: Fellows conduct a visit or series of visits to a school within or outside the BPS, or to a department of the BPS. The focus of these visits is to analyze the organization, and reflect on the learning and how it informs fellows' understanding of organizations and leadership.
   
   
   
   3. Leading Implementation of WSIP Priority: Fellows assume responsibility for leading implementation of one of the school's WSIP priorities. This is a centerpiece of Fellows' experience in the residency. Fellows are responsible for scaling-up that priority by:
      
      
      • Serving as the champion of the priority on the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT);
      
      
      
      • Implementing professional development that addresses the priority;
      
      
      
      • Observing in classrooms to assess implementation of the instructional priority;
      
      
      
      • Analyzing student performance data - both MCAS and formative assessments - that relates to the priority; to track impact on student performance.
   
   
   
   4. Leading Change Profiles: Fellows have the opportunity to interview leaders who have been involved in making organizational change. The goal of this activity is to understand the leaders' approach to starting and sustaining change and to reflect on these interventions in the context of the organizational change theory introduced through course work.