A Commitment to Building Leadership
Great charter schools require great leaders, a clear and compelling vision, and a team dedicated to implementing that vision. Edison Charter Schools understands this, and that is why we focus significant time and resources on selecting, supporting, and cultivating principals and leadership teams.
We accomplish this through focused professional development, mentoring, and positive team building within two distinct leadership strands: Edison Leadership Team Training (ELTT) and Edison Leadership Development Academy (ELDA).
ABOUT EDISON LEADERSHIP TEAM TRAINING
ELTT brings together new charter principals and start-up lead team members as well as new principals at existing charter schools to work with Edison’s experienced Achievement Team. It is during this conference that the leadership staff solidifies their goals and begins working together as a team. Workshop topics include:
- Student Achievement
- Student Management
- Leadership and Design Implementation
ABOUT EDISON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY
ELDA is an ambitious program of training and ongoing support for experienced principals and school leadership teams. ELDA focuses on leadership in the context of school improvement, offering practical opportunities to understand and hone the managerial skills needed to effectively run a charter school.
An intensive summer conference serves as the kick-off event for a year-round professional development system. Regular follow-up includes:
- Year-long cohort discussion groups
- Edison Evenings, special topic teleconference training sessions
- Regular interaction with ELDA facilitators and Edison Achievement managers
THE LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
Edison’s leadership curriculum was created to help charter educators develop into great school leaders. The key building blocks to effective leadership include:
- Communicating a Compelling Vision... and Backing It Up With Concrete Goals
- Nurturing a cohesive community of committed professionals
- Capitalizing on personal operating systems
- Knowing What Educational Excellence Looks Like and Insisting Upon It
- Following up relentlessly
- Controlling Your Environment; Don’t Let it Control You
ASPIRING LEADERS TRAINING
Edison also sponsors the Aspiring Leaders program which was created for Edison Academy Directors and other school leaders to prepare them to become a principal or academy director of an Edison School. Participants focus on three areas of growth: knowledge of instructional practice, day-to-day management of a school building, and leadership skills. Professional development opportunities include a mix of mini-conferences, regional meetings, Edison Evenings, and face-to-face observations.