Educational Leadership and Professional Development Action Item

DATE:	Tuesday, March 6, 2018
TO:	School Board Members
FROM:	Jeff Eakins, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
Approve the Agreement for Technical Services with Alma Advisory Group, LLC (Alma) (Educational Leadership and Professional Development)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Alma contract is part of the District Turn Around Leadership Pathways initiative and is funded by the Federal Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program five-year grant. The Turn Around Leadership Pathways was designed to recruit, select, and prepare the very best leaders to serve in the District’s highest-needs schools in order to dramatically improve student outcomes in these schools.  Research shows that absent a great leader, high-needs schools will not be able to turn around.  One component written into the grant will allow the District to build on the current principal competencies that were developed as part of the Hillsborough Principal Pipeline.  Alma will conduct national research and work with Hillsborough County Public Schools' (HCPS) leaders to add competencies specific to leading in schools in need of turn around.  They will add to current screening and hiring processes, and design tools to ensure the selection and hiring of leaders with the skill and will to do turn around work.  Alma consultants will also support calibration exercises with Area Superintendents and members of Area Leadership Teams as new competencies are introduced for leaders in high-needs schools.  Alma will also support the design of a four-year induction model for leaders of high-needs schools, which will build on the current two-year model for all principals.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Recruit, support, and retain a highly effective and diverse workforce
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
Funds in the amount of $163,400 will be available in the Educational Leadership and Professional Development budget.  For tracking purposes, the project number specific to this agenda item is 3342.  As of February 5, 2018, the remaining balance less encumbrances for this line item equaled $300,000.
EVALUATION
HCPS was recently featured in a national podcast related to the importance of leader competencies in recruiting, selecting, hiring, developing, and evaluating school leaders.  The competencies are the foundation for all other aspects of a human management system.  Alma consultants were instrumental in the design of the District’s five core competencies and associated selection and evaluation rubrics. The competencies, rubrics, and other tools have been sustained for the past five years with over 150 HCPS Principals and APs being hired and developed under the new competencies.  In addition, approximately 50 aspiring principals and 150 aspiring APs were screened under the new competencies, and are currently in District talent pools waiting to be hired into school leader positions.  In addition to the talent management work they have done with HCPS, Alma consultants also support other large urban districts through the Urban Schools Human Capital Academy. They are extremely qualified to research and build out the next iteration of the competency model to include specific turn around competencies that will be used to select and develop leaders needed for the District’s turn around schools.
SUBMITTED BY:  Tricia McManus, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Leadership and Professional Development

Tricia McManus		Gretchen Saunders
Assistant Superintendent, Educational Leadership and Professional Development (813) 272-4876		Chief Business Officer (813) 272-4270
		C 6.07
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20180306_865 (Board Meeting) * Section C Item# 6.07