Free Webinar: Improving Schools -- What Principals Need Pt. 1

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Everyone seems to be talking about school “turnaround,” but not many people know what that looks like from the inside. Ricardo Esparza does—from his experience at Granger High School in the Yakima Valley of Washington state.

Before Esparza first became principal of Granger High School in 2001, the school had a graduation rate of something around 40 percent—way below the state’s overall rate. After just a few years under his leadership, Granger’s graduation rate was averaging in the high 80 percents. And 75 percent of the school’s graduates—mostly Latino and mostly from low-income families—were the first in their families to finish high school.

For the third installment of The Education Trust's 2010-2011 Leadership Webinar Series (register here) on Wednesday, February 23 at 4:00 p.m. ET, Esparza will talk about his experience at Granger, and his current experience as the principal of a “turnaround” elementary school in Colorado. Join Ed Trust Senior Writer Karin Chenoweth as she talks with him not only about what he is doing as a turnaround principal but what help principals need from their districts and states to do the tough job of leading school improvement.

Joining the conversation to help put Esparza’s experience into a broader perspective will be Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom, director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wahlstrom is a leading researcher in the field of school leadership whose work has helped to define what principals need from their districts—and too often don’t get.

Register now for what is sure to be a fascinating and timely discussion of school turnaround and school leadership.

Because of the generous support of The Wallace Foundation, The Education Trust is able to offer this webinar free of charge. The Wallace Foundation has underwritten some of the foundational research that establishes the crucial role of school leadership and district and state support of school leaders. To see some of it, go to The Wallace Foundation's Knowledge Center.