Ohio State and Ohio Department of Education partner to create executive training program for Ohio school principals

Principals from across Ohio gathered at The Ohio State University on Thursday and Friday (4/14-15), to begin learning about executive management and leadership at Ohio State’s new Executive Principals Leadership Academy, an innovative program designed to help principals revitalize their schools and school communities and enhance the teaching and learning environment for teachers and students.

The Academy was born of a partnership between Ohio State and the Ohio Department of Education through a two-year, $3 million grant funded through a portion of Ohio's “Race to the Top” school improvement grant and other federal money designed to spur deep and substantial change in Ohio’s education system.

“We have researched and brainstormed for months to create a state-of-the-art program that addresses the specific needs of principals,” said Joyce Beatty, senior vice president for Outreach & Engagement at Ohio State and the grant's Principal Investigator. “Our core team of education and business professionals firmly believes that the curriculum designed for the Academy holds great potential as part of the greater educational infrastructure to eventually support sustained academic achievement in students.”

“The mission of the Principals Academy is consistent with the Ohio Department of Education’s forward-thinking agenda through the Race to the Top program to improve education for all Ohio students and support their long-term success,” said Deb Delisle, superintendent of public instruction at the Ohio Department of Education. “We appreciate the efforts of our partner, Ohio State, to create a truly special and significant program that will provide real-world executive training – based on best practices – to hundreds of principals and educators from some of the most challenged schools in Ohio.”

The Academy is housed in Ohio State’s internationally-renowned Fisher College of Business. Its curriculum is grounded firmly in executive business management principles, a unique twist on school building leadership training.

“We want to work proactively to create a continuum of professional development and support for the building leaders who participate in our program,” said Carol Newcomb, executive director of Executive Education at the Fisher College of Business and the grant's co-Principal Investigator. “We customized the curriculum to focus on impactful performance and effective management to provide the principals with practical skills and knowledge that can start paying dividends right away.”

Ohio State's College of Education and Human Ecology and its Office of Academic Affairs have also advised on content and delivery for the Academy, which has been in the works for nearly a year.

“We are proud of this great partnership with the Ohio Department of Education, which utilizes Ohio State’s expertise in discovery, innovation, and engagement to make a difference for children across the state,” Beatty said. “The Academy's effort to create better managers and leaders who guide Ohio's teachers and schoolchildren to great achievement could pay great dividends for generations.”

The Executive Principals Leadership Academy is expected to train 300 principals and other educators through December 31, 2012.