Five years ago, the New York City public school system faced a crisis: an alarming proportion of principals were on the brink of retirement. Many lacked the skills and leadership qualities to help students meet increasingly strict national standards, and it was nearly impossible to keep quality administrators in the poorest and lowest-performing schools. With a student population of more than 1 million—larger than that of most states—New York City needed to solve its school leadership problems.
Enter Sandra Stein, who became CEO of the New York City Leadership Academy in 2005. The nonprofit trains current and prospective leaders in New York public schools.
Stein formerly was an associate professor of public affairs at Baruch College and founding director of the school’s Aspiring Leaders Program. She has authored books on education policy and leadership, and is known for her method of problem-based, real-world simulations and job-embedded learning. “The leadership skills she helps to build in principals are critical to real school reform, which requires massive cultural change,” says New York City Schools chancellor Joel I. Klein. “And that can’t happen without strong and talented leaders who are truly prepared to be held accountable.”
The academy’s signature offering is the Aspiring Principals Program (APP), a 14-month boot camp for teachers who want to become administrators. Participants tackle real-life problems and must prioritize competing demands. The study is intensive, and the assignments unexpected. A participant on deadline for an important project might be interrupted by an angry parent played by an academy employee. Just as a real principal would, the participant has to deal with the crisis raised and still complete the original project.
More than 90 percent of the program’s graduates have gone on to work in leadership or support positions in New York City schools. Research shows that it takes at least three years to turn around a failing school, and not every APP graduate has been successful in his or her subsequent position. But evaluation results show that low-performing students at schools led by APP graduates pass New York’s math and science Regents exams at higher rates than their peers at comparison schools. Additionally, a higher percentage of students at APP-led schools earn 10 or more credits per year, helping lead them to timely graduation. Stein has spoken to educators in the United Kingdom, Israel and Australia who are interested in using similar methods for preparing and supporting principals.
Stein’s goal is to close the achievement gap in schools as well as ensure that high-need schools have access to the quality leadership that high-performing schools have. Her philosophy on education began taking shape during a trip to Colombia as a Grinnell College undergraduate, where her work with street children, or gamines, left a permanent impression upon her. “That to me is where the logic that you deserve your lot in life breaks down. The social justice piece is what underscores my passion.”
