Educational Leadership Development Academy
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92122
619-260-8839
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ELDA Reaches Ten Year Mark
By Melinda Martin, ELDA Executive Director
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In
September 2009 ELDA welcomed the tenth cohort of aspiring principals!
Since the first cohort of ELDA students completed the program and
received their credential in May 2000, ELDA has trained and certified
over 102 Aspiring Leaders (Tier I Preliminary Administrative Services
Credential candidates), 67 New Leaders (Tier II Professional
Administrative Services Credential candidates) and 33 Math, Literacy
and Science Administrators. In addition, 41 candidates have completed
the Leaders Exploring Administrative Possibilities (LEAP) Program, and
many of these candidates joined the ELDA Aspiring Leaders program.
Approximately 75 % of ELDA graduates hold administrative positions in
local school districts, private and charter schools, in the state of
California, and nationally.
This
fall, ELDA welcomed 13 students who make up cohort Ten. These students
represent public, private, and charter schools. They are:
- Mindy Davis, Normal Heights Elementary
- Carmen Diaz, King Chavez Primary
- Jeannette Estrada, Las Palmas Elementary
- Monica Galvan, EJE Academics
- Christine Harris, Burbank Elementary School
- Kyle Hickey, Horizon Prep
- Michael Jakl, Hancock Elementary
- Kelly Kovacic, The Preuss School
- Gail Paradez, Special Education Office, San Diego Unified School District
- Marguerite Pini, St. John's School
- Liana Rodriguez, Otay Ranch High School
- Norma Sandoval, Hoover High School
- Kerry Shea, Normal Heights Elementary
Cohort
Nine students have been taking courses in the ELDA Program and
apprenticing since Sept. 2008. They will complete the program in
Summer 2010. These students are:
- Cresencia Angeles, Mater Dei Catholic High
- Mariana Apalategui
- Emmitt Dodd, Mission Bay High School
- Armando Farias, Walter J. Porter Elementary
- Alejandra Gomez, The Language Academy
- Amy Griffiths, The Language Academy
- Araceli Jimenez, Knox Elementary
- Elizabeth Joseph, St. Michael's School
- Dan Lang, Francis Parker School
- Julius Lockett, Clairemont High School
- Edna Mikulanis, Joyner Elementary
- Tertia Miyashiro, Keiller Leadership Academy
- Carlos Ramirez, Twain High School and Taft Middle School
- John Ross, Lincoln High School
Congratulations are in order for ELDA graduates who were recently promoted to administrative positions:
- Julia Bridi-Freel, Principal, Chollas Elementary, San Diego Unified School District
- Kathy Burns, Principal, Gage Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Cathy Calcagno, Principal, Vista Grande elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Sylvia Echeverria, Assistant Principal, Salt Creek Elementary School, Chula Vista School District
- Barbara Israel, Vice Principal, Miller Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Milton Martin, Principal, Oak Park Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Kimberly Meng, Principal, Rolando Park Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Lori Moore, Vice Principal, Porter Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District
- Francisco Morga, Principal Jefferson Elementary, San Diego Unified School District
We wish these ELDA graduates well in their new positions.
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| Kelly Kovacic receives San Diego County Teacher of the Year Award |
Kelly
Kovacic, member of ELDA Aspiring Leaders Cohort 10, and social studies
teacher at the Pruess School, was selected with four other teachers for
the San Diego County Teacher of the Year Award. Kelly then was
nominated with one other San Diego teacher for the California Teacher
of the Year award. Congratulations, Kelly!
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| New ELDA Faculty Member Dr. Rose Linda Martinez |
This fall, ELDA welcomed a new faculty member, Dr. Rose Linda Martinez. Dr. Martinez is a visiting professor in the Leadership Studies Department. We are fortunate to have her working with the ELDA Program. Dr Martinez teaches EDLD 558 School Leadership and the Politics of Education, EDLD 597P Practicum, and supervises ELDA apprentices.
Dr. Martinez is a professor, consultant, businesswoman, and "visionary of the possible." Using multicultural stories, narratives, dialogue, and creative expressions from more than 25 years of research and experience, Dr. Martinez has taught the transformative functions of leadership and how they can be applied to reconnect organizations and individuals with visionary living.
Having earned her doctoral and master's degrees in education from Vanderbilt University, a former teacher and principal, Dr. Martinez has also been a faculty member at New Mexico Highlands University, taught at the University of Arizona and served as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut.
As the founder of Martinez and Associates in 1996, she continues to work with groups throughout business, government and education. Her many clients have included Altria, Citibank, Sony Pictures, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs and many others. Dr. Martinez has also specialized in the development and implementation of educational programs worldwide. Most recently she helped to improve educational leadership in the Escuelas Don Bosco school systems of Bolivia. Prior to this, as a consultant for Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), she assisted schools of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Dr. Martinez has also served Native American communities, tribal governments, and native schools nationwide. Prior to forming her own consulting business she worked as a senior consultant for Pecos River/AON and Wilson Consulting from 1995 to 2000. Clients there included Citigroup, Intel, Miller, Cargill, Time Warner, United Airlines, and Kaiser Permanente among others.
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| Principals Ongoing Support and Training (POST), a new ELDA program |
The Stuart foundation has funded a new ELDA Program, POST, to provide:
- A high-quality structured professional development program for
twelve principals and three members of their site leadership team
- One on one coaching for the principal from a qualified experienced coach/mentor
- Paid registration for the principal and three members of the site
leadership team to attend the 2009-10 ELDA Spotlight speaker series
The
POST program will provide for a renewal of leadership skills for the
principals while the focus of the professional development and the work
with the coach will provide strategies, knowledge and skills to assist
the principal and the leadership team to build capacity and accelerate
the performance of all students.
The three broad goals of the POST program are to provide:
- Four days per year of professional development for the principal and leadership team based on the school/district's needs
- Additional professional development for the principal and leadership team through attendance at the ELDA Spotlight Speaker Series
- One on one coaching for the principal
The first day of POST Professional Development was September 24, 2009. The
keynote speaker was Damen Lopez of Turnaround Schools. His topic was
Universal Achievement. In the afternoon principals, leadership team
members, and coaches attended breakout sessions on Response to
Intervention, and Academic Vocabulary Development.
The
twelve principals and their leadership teams are employees of the Lemon
Grove, Oceanside, Santee and South Bay Union School Districts in San
Diego County. The principals/schools are:
- Andy Johnston, Chet F. Harritt School, Santee
- Stephanie Southcott, PRIDE Academy at Prospect School, Santee
- Lisa McColl, Rio Seco School, Santee
- Russell Little, Palm Middle, Lemon Grove School District
- Frank Balanon, Foussant Elementary, Oceanside
- Steve Bessant, Lincoln Middle, Oceanside
- Eileen Frazier, Jefferson Middle, Oceanside
- Cheri Sanders, Cesar Chavez Middle, Oceanside
- Bob Daily, Pence Elementary, South Bay Union
- Ruth Frazier, Nicoloff Elementary, South Bay Union
- Don Visnick, Mendoza Elementary School, South Bay Union
- Patty Valdivia, Bayside Elementary, South Bay Union
Later in this newsletter, you will read an article by Dr. Barbara Brooks on the role of a POST coach.
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ELDA SUMMER INSTITUTE JULY 2009
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ELDA sponsored the fourth annual Summer Institute in July 2009. The Institute, "Leading Schools in a Flat World: Principal Globalization and its Implications for Education" featured keynote speakers Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus University of Toronto, Matthew T. Spathas, Partner SENTRE Partners/CEO, Bandwith Now, and Yong Zhao, Director for the Center of Teaching and Technology, Michigan State University.
Later in this newsletter, you will find an article written by Dr. Julie Martel, principal of Pacific Beach Middle School in San Diego Unified. Julie and a team of teachers from her school attended the Summer Institute.
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| ELDA Principal's Forum |
The Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA) launched the first ELDA Forum and moderator training on April 17, 18, 2009.
Forum is a group of 8-10 members who meet on a regular basis in an atmosphere of confidentiality, trust, and openness to share in each other's business, family and personal experiences. Forum provides an ongoing opportunity to share and discuss with a group of peers the issues that arise from being a principal. A principals' job has often been characterized as being "lonely at the top." Forum serves as an antidote to that isolation. The breadth of topics discussed and the long-term life of the group, the commonality and diversity of members, the use of peer moderation, and the close relationships that develop combine to create a strong support group for principals. See the article written by Forum member Elizabeth Larkin, Principal of the San Diego Early Middle College.
Pictured Forum Members: Standing row: Bernadette Nguyen, Fabiola Bagula, Anne Worrall, Melinda Martin, Richard Lawrence, and Elizabeth Larkin. Bottom row: Sharifa Abukar, Veronika Lopez-Mendez, Julie Martel , Pam Thompson, Luisa Vargas
A new group of Forum members received training on October 24. If you are a principal or vice principal who is interested in becoming a member of Forum, please send an email to elda@sandiego.edu
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| Fourth Annual ELDA Spotlight Speaker Series |
Following on the success of the ELDA Summer Institute and continuing the theme of 21st century skills, the Fourth Annual ELDA Spotlight Speaker Series Transforming Education: Digital Learning, Creativity, and Student Engagement" was sold out by October 1. See the article by Dr. Freda Callahan, ELDA Program Consultant for more information on this excellent speaker series.
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Positive Publicity for ELDA
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In March 2009, ELDA was cited as an "Exemplary Principal Preparation Program" by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. This research brief focused on the major challenges facing the education leadership workforce, reviewed existing data about California principals, and described promising programs. To read the Executive Summary, go to http://ww.cftl.org/
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The ELDA Program-My Choice for a quality educational experience
By Carlos Ramirez
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My name is Carlos Ramirez, I am an English Learner Support teacher for
the San Diego Unified School District and I have long been in the
pursuit of finding a graduate school that was right for me, I looked
for a university that could meet my academic needs as well as fulfill
my dream of becoming a school leader. Before USD, I had taken graduate
and professional development courses at many local universities. I had
also attended informational meetings for programs offering an
administrative credential. I had asked colleagues for their
recommendations and their experiences. In the end, I chose a school
where I could see myself enjoying and succeeding in my studies, and
expanding my leadership skills. The ELDA program at USD has far
exceeded my expectations.
Throughout my first year in the ELDA
Program, I received an outstanding education from professors and school
leaders who have helped me on a professional and personal level. I
believe that the courses have helped in my maturing process as well as
helping me become fully involved in my school community. I have also
had the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship under the leadership
of Marian Kim Phelps, principal at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy. I feel
very fortunate to have learned so much from Mrs. Phelps and her
tremendous team. During my ELDA apprenticeship I learned how to apply
distributive leadership, and how to delegate responsibilities in order
to collaborate in a school setting that requires every staff member to
be accountable and responsible for the success of all students. There
is no textbook or course that can equate to the apprenticeship.
As
I look back to a year ago, I know I could not have made a better
decision than to have enrolled at the ELDA Graduate Program at USD. As
I go through my life, I will encourage others to take a closer look at
what the ELDA Program has to offer. ELDA offers more than an
administrative credential or an M. A. ELDA offers a powerful change
that can transform and make a difference in the lives of hundreds of
students and staff in our schools. I am a firm believer in change and
innovation that leads to accelerated learning for students. Without a
doubt the ELDA program has changed my mind, heart, soul, and spirit. I
am honored and proud to be an ELDA graduate student.
Carlos Ramirez, English Learner Support Teacher, Mark Twain High School and Taft Middle School
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Spotlight on Education: TRANSFORMING EDUCATION: DIGITAL LEARNING, CREATIVITY, AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
By Freda Callahan Ed.D |
Nationally and internationally acclaimed presenters make up the roster
for this year's Fourth Annual Spotlight on Education Series. The need
to provide a 21st century education for our 21st century students is
glaringly apparent. How do we as educational leaders provide a well-
rounded education for our students who are living in a globalized, flat
world?
Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century
Skills is the kick-off speaker and on October 15 will address four
components of the Framework for the 21st Century Learning: 1. Core
subjects and 21st century themes 2. Learning and innovation skills
3.Information, media, and technology skills and 4. Life and career
skills. (The remainder of our Spotlight presenters will go further
in-depth in each one of these components.)
On November 19, Marc
Prensky will speak to the topic of methods to engage and connect
students to learning. How do we (digital immigrants) deal with
delivering instruction to our students (digital natives) and what
effect will today's digital youth have on business and education?
On
February 18, 2010, Sir Ken Robinson whose most recent book, "The
Element" looks at human creativity and education argues that most
creative processes are the results of collaboration and benefiting from
diversity. He will share his findings about what he believes is at the
heart of the creative process.
March 18th brings Alan November
to Spotlight and in a thought provoking presentation he will address
students' use of collaborative online tools, research and global
communications skills to add value to the learning community, to help
us rethink and refine our approach to education and technology.
The
final Spotlight session features Milton Chen, who in addition to his
doctorate degree in communications research from Stanford holds the
coveted title of Jedi Master (conferred by George Lucas). Dr Chen, who
is currently the Executive Director of the George Lucas Educational
foundation and the Edutopia Program will share examples of Edutopia's
work and engage the audience with models that can be adapted to create
a school system for the future.
Freda Callahan Ed.D, ELDA Program Consultant
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Success in a Flat World
By Julie Martel Ed.D |
In July, teachers and administrators from through the county including
myself and a team from Pacific Beach Middle School attended the
University of San Diego's Summer Institute, Leading Schools in a Flat
World: Globalization and Its Implications for Education. The Institute
helped define future implications and possibilities for global
education. The institute provided administrators and teacher leaders
with ways to ensure every learner has the skills and knowledge to be
successful in a "flat world". The focus of the institute aligned with
the philosophy and framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB)
Programs. Pacific Beach Middle School is an IB school, so we were
quite interested in this alignment.
Michael Fullan opened the
institute with his "Six Secrets of Change" highlighting strategies for
preparing an organization for change. The IB is a reflective
organization that is constantly revising and growing as they implement
changes to the IB curriculum. Because students are always changing and
they must learn to adapt to an ever-increasingly changing world,
helping them to negotiate and learn to learn and apply skills,
attitudes, knowledge, and global understandings will better prepare
students than a static education based on facts and rote memorization.
Change is embraced by IB schools.
Matthew Spathas, from
Lightspeed, discussed technologies and school reform that must focus on
building connectivity, collaboration and communication. International
Baccalaureate is aligned with this vision as Middle Years Programmes
(MYP) are required to teach IB MYP Technology courses focusing on
systems, materials and information and communication technologies.
Dr
Yong. Zhou's discussion of which skills are "worth knowing and
learning" aligned with the IB's focus on using a variety of courses and
assessment tools that define students achievement above and beyond
academic knowledge .In the IB, student attitudes, engagement,
creativity and ingenuity are also valued, assessed and reported.
As
an International Baccalaureate World School, the skills and knowledge
my team gained from participation in the institute will be used at our
school to inspire our decisions as we move prepare our students for
success in a "flat world".
Julie Martel Ed.D Principal, Pacific Beach Middle School
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Principal's Ongoing Support and Training (POST) Coaching: a Challenging and Exciting Opportunity
By Barbara Brooks, Ed.D |
An exciting adventure awaits me and the other POST coaches as we begin
this school year. I have had an opportunity to meet with both of the
principals whom I will coach, and their selected leadership teams, and
I am impressed with their energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness to
participate in the POST program to improve their school's performance.
I
am looking forward to attending, with the principals and their
leadership teams, the ELDA Spotlight Speaker Series and the POST
professional development training that has been planned for this year
for coaches, principals and three members of their leadership team. We
will glean knowledge, strategies, and ideas from these sessions and
then use our collective skills and experience to plan implementation
for enhancing teaching and learning through the school's Professional
Learning Communities. This will be challenging, fun, and a rewarding
opportunity for all of us.
After my first coaching meeting,
both schools have developed a very strong set of goals for their
involvement in the POST Program. Listed below are the goals for one of
the POST schools, Cesar Chavez Middle School in Oceanside:
Goals for involvement in the POST Program
- Umbrella for work this year: Meet district goals (Essential Schools Plan)
- Improving test scores, with focus on reading comprehension and Academic vocabulary
- Enhance effectiveness of PLC
- Build leadership and capacity
I
am excited and energized to participate in the POST program and look
forward to attending the coaches training and the special sessions
provided for all the POST participants. I am especially looking
forward to working with two very talented and capable principals and
their leadership team members.
Barbara Brooks, Ed.D, POST coach
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ELDA Principal's Forum
By Elizabeth Larkin |
When ELDA Executive Director Melinda Martin sent me an e-mail last
February asking if I was interested in joining a group of eight other
ELDA alumni principals to be in a Forum and trained as a Forum
moderator, I immediately said yes. I had only a vague idea of what
Forum was, but I cannot say no to Melinda. And I am happy that I made
that choice. I graduated from the ELDA program five years ago, and I
realized that I missed the collegiality and support of my ELDA cohort.
Forum has not only been a way for me to reconnect with ELDA, but it has
provided me with a confidential, nonjudgmental community of friends to
share and discuss the challenges and rewards of being a principal on
both a personal and a professional level.
Our Forum has met
monthly now for six months, after work at USD from 5:00 to 8:00. We put
our day behind us, eat dinner together and then follow a protocol that
allows us to support each other through a variety of exercises,
discussions, and reflections. It took us a while, but the group
recently created a mission statement that I think is the essence of who
we are: "The ELDA Principals Forum's mission is to support and be
supported on a whole-life level so that we may help ourselves and
others live fulfilled lives."
Elizabeth Larkin, Principal San Diego Early Middle College
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ELDA Year 2 - What have I learned?
By Dan Lang |
September is a watershed month for all of us in education. Summer is
officially over, school is back in full swing, and for those in ELDA,
the beginning of the year also means meeting with our University
Supervisor. Sitting down recently with my own supervisor, Mary
Gilliland, we tackled the question that I now ask my own students to
reflect upon: "What have I learned?"
Observing my mentor
principal, Jonathon Ton, at Montgomery Middle School (in San Diego
Unified) this past year, was quite frequently like standing beside a
force of nature. Quickly moving from one item to the next, I learned
that an instructional leader must be very efficient. In Jonathan's
case, and more and more my own, that efficiency is the natural result
of a clear vision with student learning at its core. Given the daily
demands of any school site, it is quite easy to be "busy." However, if
we are truly honest with ourselves and if we don't constantly keep in
mind our leadership vision, we can find that we are busy for the wrong
reasons. Some leaders hurry around concerned with issues that center
on a variety of things, rather than keeping the main thing the main
thing - kids. Now, keeping kids at the center of one's decision making
may sound like a "no brainer," but practicing it with intentionality is
quite an art form. Planning the master schedule around teacher's
strengths, and managing the budget workbook to keep class size down and
preserve key members of the site team are just a few of the practical
ways that a vision is lived.
In addition to the value of a
clear vision, another major lesson from my apprenticeship is: you
cannot do it alone. While Jonathan is the instructional leader at
Montgomery, he is the first to say, "a leader is only as good as the
team assembled to share in the work." Quite a variety of uses for the
word "team" seem to pop up everywhere in a healthy school, and
Montgomery is no exception.
As challenging and exciting as my
apprenticeship was, the course work from my first year of ELDA studies
laid the foundation to understanding the research behind much of what I
was seeing in practice. In one of those "ah-ha" moments while meeting
with Mary, I began to see how the readings from the beginning of the
year were being applied at Montgomery. Jonathan is a leader who, to
use a few of the article titles, "Turned the Organizational Pyramid
Upside Down," communicates that "Failure is Not An Option," establishes
a "Clear and Compelling Purpose," and has created a "Framework for
Shared Leadership."
At the end of my meeting with Mary, I
was surprised that I could list so many things I had learned, and I'm
grateful for the opportunities Jonathan provided for me to grow as
leader. While I am obviously impressed with Jonathon as a mentor
principal, I am equally humbled by the quality of the teaching I have
witnessed at my Montgomery Middle School, and overjoyed at the impact
that training to be an instructional leader is having on the quality of
my own practice in the here and now.
Finally, it is true that instructional leaders work hard, very hard, but from the outside looking in, it is all worth it.
Dan Lang, Teacher, Francis Parker Middle School, ELDA Aspiring Leaders Cohort 9
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My ELDA Journey
By Sylvia Echeverria |
There is a Chinese proverb that says, "He who travels without a
destination arrives nowhere." I clearly remember the day that as a
junior in high school I attended a leadership conference at the
University of San Diego. I was overwhelmed with awe and excitement in
the presence of so much talent in addition to the intense feeling of
knowledge that exuded from the walls of such an honored institution. I
knew then that someday I too wanted to be a part of this organization.
I kept my vision alive even when the possibility of attending was
uncertain and bleak given my financial situation and immigration
status. After overcoming significant challenges along the way, my
vision of that destination became a reality. I received both my
Bachelor's and Master's degrees at USD and began a very rewarding teaching
career. As I contemplated earning my Preliminary Administrative
Services Credential, I was drawn once again to the institution that
empowered me with a high-quality education. The Educational Leadership
Development Academy set the foundation for another journey focused on
making a difference for students and the community.
Through
ELDA I solidified the value of keeping students in the forefront of any
decision-making. One of the most beneficial aspects of the program is
the forty-day internship alongside a principal in addition to the
continuous support from a University supervisor. The relationship that
I developed with both my principal and supervisor helped me become more
confident in myself as an educational leader. The voice of Ann Van
Sickle, my supervisor, telling me "What will children know and be able
to do as a result of this lesson and what evidence do you have that
they achieved it?" still resonates in my head as I collaborate with
teachers and provide instructional support. As school leaders, our
journey is about every child, every day and we must ensure that we take
the necessary steps to arrive at that destination regardless of the
roadblocks we face.
ELDA continuously encouraged us to develop
and own our "theory of action" in order to navigate through our
responsibilities with certainty and conviction. It was always clear
that our purpose was to be strong and knowledgeable instructional
leaders. In addition, the relationships developed with our cohort
colleagues were invaluable to the success of the program. Our cohort
consisted of fourteen members and through the two-year term we became
friends and professional colleagues. Throughout all our studies we
were challenged to become passionate advocates for quality education.
ELDA provided the tools necessary both in theory (coursework) and in
practice (apprenticeship) in order to feel confident about the steps
taken in our journey.
I am currently an Associate Principal at
Salt Creek Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School
District and feel confident in the decisions I make every day in the
best interest of students. ELDA gave me the opportunity to spread my
wings and realize once more that having a vision in place will lead to
attaining what sometimes seems impossible. As I drive up Interstate 5,
I look up and see the beauty of USD and smile because it represents the
key that has facilitated my quest to opening the doors for children's
futures and guiding them to successful destinations.
Sylvia Echeverria Associate Principal, Salt Creek Elementary School
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| ELDA Ten-Year Blowout Celebration!! |
We are planning a blowout celebration for ELDA's tenth anniversary in
June 2010. Be on the lookout for more information on date/time and
location.
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