A WALLACE-READER’S DIGEST FUNDS
VENTURES IN LEADERSHIP FUNDED PROJECT
Since 1988 Northern Arizona Literacy Enterprises (NALE) has been working with school districts throughout Arizona, especially schools located on the Navajo Nation, delivering reading, writing and technology training and professional development, in order to help the schools improve their students’ academic achievement. During the course of working with these schools on the Navajo Nation, and in particular the Ganado Unified School District, we have observed that a contributing factor to under-performing student achievement and low-test scores is the high turnover of school principals and district superintendents, and the difficulty the districts have in replacing them.
Consequently, to address the need of training indigenous people to provide the educational leadership so that Navajo children can receive educational instruction comparable to their non-reservation peers, NALE developed a leadership program. The Ganado Leadership Academy (GLA) was designed to recruit and train current Navajo Nation Native American teachers, and begin the process of preparing them to become school administrators and leaders.
In November 2001 Northern Arizona Literacy Enterprises applied to the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds for a Ventures in Leadership, LEADERS Count grant to fund this leadership program at Ganado Unified School District, in rural northern Arizona. NALE received a Ventures in Leadership award to implement the Ganado Leadership Academy during the 2002-2003 school year.
To achieve the goal of promoting stable leadership at the schools within the Ganado Unified School District, NALE designed a program to “train administrators from within.” We recruited current Navajo Nation Native American teachers to participate in a school-year long program consisting of eight, eight-hour, monthly workshops in topics vital to developing the leadership skills of these teachers. The topics consisted of: 1) Effective Leadership, 2) Budgeting, 3) Communication, 4) Bottom-up Management Style, 5) Community Support and Involvement, 6) Parental Support and Involvement, 7) Working with School Boards, and 8) Curriculum Design, Content Knowledge, and Information on Administrative State Certification Requirements. These workshops were designed to expose participants to the fundamental knowledge needed to become a principal/superintendent, and to also promote confidence in their abilities to assume a leadership role in their school and/or district.
Thirteen current Native American teachers from the Ganado Primary School and the Ganado Intermediate School were selected to participate in the Ganado Leadership Academy. The feedback from the teachers who participated in the GLA was very positive. Listed below is a sample of participant comments:
“I used to think there was only one or two leadership skills involved in the management and operation of a school, but now I know there are various types of leadership skills, and how various elements contribute to an effective leader.”
“I used to think that the budget process was easy and could be solved with just a few signatures or clicks of a mouse, but after sitting through this class on finance, I discovered that it is a lot more complicated than it looks. There are a lot of ways to get school funding. I always assumed that the Federal Government paid for it all, but it has come to my knowledge that the Federal Government picks up only 10-17% of the budget.”
“My leadership dream is becoming a realistic goal. This class has given me a positive beginning. The teachers appear to be the right persons to help me become an effective leader. My fellow teachers are strong, supportive and great role models for me as I become an excellent leader in my community.”
This yearlong Ganado Leadership Academy concluded in April 2003. The teachers who participated originally indicated they would like to become leaders in the Ganado School District, either as a principal, superintendent or curriculum leader. As the months went by, many of the class members shared their growing awareness of the complexity of school management and indicated how they would better prepare themselves to meet these challenges. Many said they wished to continue in a formal leadership university program, and others indicated they would take selected classes that fit their family and other time commitments. Each participant identified both short and long-term goals. The teachers enrolled in this leadership academy reiterated their enthusiasm in preparing to accept leadership roles in their schools on the Navajo Nation. They also articulated their satisfaction of the in-depth look at leadership locally, throughout Arizona and nationally that was presented in this Ganado Leadership Academy.
We are pleased to report that the Ganado Leadership Academy was a great success, and achieved its goals by providing the participating teachers with the knowledge, support and confidence they needed to continue with the process of becoming a school leader.
To inquire about a Leadership Academy at your school and/or district contact: Marcie Delmotte at 928/523-2626; 928/523-1479 (fax); Marcie.Delmotte@nau.edu.