You’ve reached your career goal. There’s a long and distinguished list of accomplishments on your résumé. And students are showing progress resulting from the many initiatives you’ve implemented.

But what are you doing to ensure a new generation of leaders will be prepared to take your place when you retire?

Experienced school and district leaders have an incredible opportunity to “pay it forward” to new administrators by becoming an ACSA Leadership Coach. ACSA Leadership Coaching trains leaders in the Evocative Coaching Model that emphasizes the importance of building and maintaining trust, the value of being a good listener and the use of questioning strategies to promote reflection and growth in educational leaders. This training, which will be held online in August, is the first step to becoming an ACSA Leadership Coach.

Many school administrators have found being an induction coach for new administrators offers many rewards, both for the candidate and their own personal growth.

ACSA Leadership Coaching is a series of workshops designed to teach experienced school and district leaders how to provide job-embedded coaching to school administrators.

While ACSA Leadership Coaching is required for anyone who is coaching candidates in the ACSA Clear Administrative Credential Program, the program is also beneficial to anyone who is responsible for the development of education leaders, including:

• Coaches of beginning and experienced school administrators.
• Coaches serving in school leadership training programs and Administrative Services Credential programs.
• Instructors in educational administration pre-service programs.
• District leaders responsible for improving the capacity of site leaders.
• Individuals responsible for the design and implementation of professional development programs for district, school and teacher leaders.
• Coaches of teacher leaders.

This coaching methodology is based on Megan and Bob Tschannen-Moran’s book “Evoking Greatness: Coaching to Bring Out the Best in Educational Leaders” (2016). This researched-based model focuses on coaching skills and moves to LEAD — Listen, Empathize, Appreciate and Design — and support the candidate’s growth as a leader and attainment of leadership outcomes. Through Appreciative Inquiry questioning, the coach helps candidates recognize strengths and possibilities that exist to envision an ideal future to develop goals and action steps. This approach builds the candidate’s capacity as a leader by modeling inquiry for problem solving that extends beyond their current administrative position.

Leadership coaching differs from mentoring. Mentoring is an informal relationship where a mentor provides nonjudgmental listening when asked on topics that are selected by the administrator being mentored. In contrast, leadership coaching focuses on professional development and capacity building by guiding the candidate through activities and conversations that invite rethinking and application of leadership strategies and dispositions for the most successful impact.

Jump start your career with ACSA Professional Learning.