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Academy in N.Y.C. Prepares Principals for Toughest Jobs

John Barnes, a graduate of the academy, observes a social studies class at the Bronx School of Science Inquiry and Investigation with Jean Grace, whom he is mentoring.

—Emile Wamsteker for Education Week

By Lynn Olson

The outcome of New York City’s gambit to give schools greater autonomy over their budgets and curriculum in exchange for heightened accountability for results will arguably rise or fall based on the skills of its principals. So the role of the New York City Leadership Academy —created by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein to recruit, train, and support new principals for the city’s toughest schools—has never been more central.

The nonprofit organization, launched nearly five years ago and independent of the city’s education department, was modeled after successful private-sector initiatives. Unlike the highly theoretical curriculum offered in many universitybased training programs, the academy’s Aspiring Principals Program is deeply rooted in practice and in the 1.1 million-student district’s efforts to improve its schools.

“It’s a very different approach from pulling out last year’s syllabus,” said Sandra J. Stein, the chief executive officer of the academy. “We always talk about being rigorous, relevant, and responsive.” Aspiring principals are selected through a stringent screening process. Of the 451 applicants this past school year, only 68 were admitted. More than half of them are members of...