Leadership Development
The Path to School Leadership
We all win when our principals and teachers are empowered and provided with the right support. And we all benefit when our students are better prepared for college or a career. With these goals in mind, Hillsborough County Public Schools is transforming the way we identify and train our aspiring leaders, through the Hillsborough Principal Pipeline.
 We are investing in the future by investing in school leaders. Our principals and assistant principals have a broad impact on our schools, our students and our community. By investing in our principals, we are investing in our children and our community. Strong leaders form the foundation of our schools and ultimately impact the success of both our teachers and our students. Through the Hillsborough Principal Pipeline, current and future school leaders gain valuable skills to help them lead a school to success. They also develop new perspectives and become part of a close-knit network that they can tap into throughout their career. Preparing for the Role of School Leader in Today’s Schools Pipeline participants engage in professional development courses that include both leadership and technical training aligned with state leadership standards and District leadership competencies. The program prepares current and future school leaders to effectively serve as instructional leaders, managers of human capital and organizational/systems leaders. Real-World Experience & Preparation |
Future Leaders Academy (FLA)The Future Leaders Academy (FLA) is the first step in the journey to become a principal in Hillsborough County Public Schools. This six-month program, which is held twice per year, is designed to prepare teachers to be successful assistant principals by not only arming them with educational leadership coursework, but also providing them with real-world experience and training.
“From my participation in FLA, I have gained confidence in my potential as a District leader. The experiences and relationships I have gained through the trainings have given me a strong foundation for leadership development. As I have reflected on my experience, I found that when I began the FLA program, I aspired to be an administrator. At its completion, I found that I am now truly inspired to be an administrative leader.” Theresa Seits “I think that the most valuable aspect that I’ve learned from FLA has been the importance of building relationships across all levels. It’s so important to develop a relationship with not only the teachers, but also with your administrators, the parents, bus drivers, the people in the community– and really make the effort to build a rapport with those people.” Nichelle Glenn |
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Assistant Principal Induction Program (APIP)After completing FLA, candidates are eligible to become an assistant principal. Upon appointment as an assistant principal, participants immediately enter the two-year Assistant Principal Induction Program (APIP). The program involves job-embedded, real-world learning activities and places a heavy emphasis on biweekly collaboration with a highly trained assistant principal mentor who has proven experience and success as an assistant principal.
“The coursework offered through the Assistant Principal Induction Program has been crucial to my success as an assistant principal. The program design offers the perfect balance of foundational training to support immediate practice along with philosophical coursework to inspire long-term growth and reflection. These courses, led by dynamic leaders in our own District, offer professional development that is rich in content and tailored to the specific needs of a first-year AP. The courses also reflect our District’s commitment to increasing student achievement and have provided me with specific strategies to stay focused on improving my role as an instructional leader. It is truly an exceptional program!” Sarah Garcia |
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Preparing New Principals (PNP)After completing FLA, APIP, and serving for one additional year as an assistant principal, aspiring leaders are eligible to apply for the Preparing New Principals (PNP) program. Over the course of two years, assistant principals receive monthly coaching and are prepared and trained on how to create positive school culture and working conditions for teachers, as well as how to positively impact teacher and student performance.
“The Preparing New Principals program helped prepare me for my role as a school principal by providing me with scenarios that I would not be faced with in my position of assistant principal. There were multiple sessions with current principals who provided personal testimonials, networking and assistance. It also allowed me to self-reflect and become aware of best practices that would empower me to be as effective as possible when granted the opportunity to lead at the next level.” Danté D. Jones |
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Principal Induction Program (PIP)After completing FLA, APIP, and PNP, candidates are eligible to become a principal. Upon appointment as a principal, participants immediately enter the two-year Principal Induction Program (PIP). The program involves job-embedded, real-world learning activities and places a heavy emphasis on weekly collaboration with highly trained principal coaches who have high levels of experience and success as principals and are now solely dedicated to coaching.
“Through PIP, I have had the opportunity to build relationships with a network of principals and I have learned firsthand how the District views the role of a principal, which has given me a clear understanding of my role. In particular, the time invested by my coach, someone solely dedicated to supporting me as a principal, is by far the most beneficial part of PIP. A level of trust has been built so well that I can discuss anything with her.” Olayinka Alege |
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Leadership Training and SupportA Supportive Environment SAM is a professional development process using a unique set of tools to change a principal’s focus from school management tasks to instructional leadership—activities directly connected to improving teaching and learning.
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Turnaround Leadership Pathways (TLP) The Turnaround Leadership Pathways (TLP) program is designed to recruit, develop and retain high-performing teachers and leaders for our Achievement Schools (50 high-need schools), creating a robust pool of current and future leaders. |
