Principals looking for an adventurous professional development experience will not want to miss ACSA’s summer programs for principals at UCLA. These two institutes (one for principals with three-plus years of experience and another for first/second-year and aspiring principals) are weeklong residential experiences. Principals attend workshops, hear speakers, participate in exercises and enjoy accommodations all on the UCLA campus.  Here are four reasons why you’ll want to attend this unique professional development opportunity. It can be hard for site administrators to find time to devote to professional development. These summer institutes are an invaluable time to focus on self-improvement. “The principals institute has helped me consolidate my fragmented ideas and approach into a cohesive message for my entire school,” said one of last year’s participants. “It helped me understand how to put things together by removing the things that will always be there ‘making a lot of noise.’ Simply stated, it helped me refine and re-define my focus.” Many participants in the UCLA summer institutes have found not only peers, but lifelong friends they can turn to for support. The residential experience and small group work help attendees make connections that are invaluable, especially for principals new to the job. It can be lonely in the principal’s office, so when principals need someone to call, they already have a network of peers from the Principals’ Institutes. Participants are guided on their experience by team leaders – veteran administrators who hold daily small group sessions and help participants digest the information and develop a plan for incorporating it into schools. These institutes also give participants access to some of the most sought-after speakers in education, including: At Principals’ Summer Institute ­— Douglas Reeves, Ph.D., the author of more than 30 books and more than 100 articles on leadership and organizational effectiveness; Dr. Sharroky Hollie, an educator, administrator and university professor who provides professional development in the area of cultural responsiveness; Tom DeLapp, chairman and founder of Communication Resources for Schools, who has trained nearly 250,000 educators on effective communications, community engagement, and media relations; and Horacio Sanchez, President and CEO of Resiliency Inc., an agency leader in helping schools improve school climate, instruction, and discipline.  At Institute for New & Aspiring Principals ­— Dr. Denver J. Fowler, chair of the Ed.D. program and professor of PK-12 Educational Leadership at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio; Pam Robbins, an independent consultant who works with school systems, state departments of education, and universities around the world; and Jeff Eben, an award-winning educator, leader, author and speaker who became paralyzed at age 16 and went on to enjoy a 30-year career in public education. When is the last time your professional development involved a safety harness? These institutes have some truly fun teambuilding and personal growth exercises. Participants will practice their goal-setting skills on an elevated ropes course. They will also use teamwork and problem-solving skills to overcome challenging situations, like having to retrieve an object that seems out of reach.

What: Residential program for principals with 3+ years of experience When: June 21-27, 2020 Info:

What: Residential program for first/second-year and aspiring principals When: June 22-26, 2020 Info: