Indiana State University Newsroom

The second cohort of the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute is expected to reach its 50 principal quota by the Saturday, March 15, deadline.

Principals interested in applying for the second class should apply online at www.indianapli.org and participants for the second cohort will be announced in April.

This year's program will begin in July at Indiana State University with a two-day seminar, where the principals will hear from three nationally recognized educators, including Rick Wormeli, a teacher, author and one of the first National Board Certified teachers in the country, who will provide the keynote address on resources for educational progress; Nancy Fichtman Dana, an award-winning researcher, will discuss how to use action research as a professional development tool; and Eric Sheninger, a high school principal and author of Digital Leadership, who will address how to use technology to transform school cultures.

Principals will be required to attend five seminars each year, along with a financial contribution of $1,000 from the school corporation to establish commitment of the principal and superintendent to the program. Fifty principals will be selected to participate in the two-year experience designed to address the professional needs of Indiana public school principals with an emphasis on student success.

The institute is meant to increase a principal's capacity to address the current needs of their school, such as teacher evaluation models, student performance, community involvement and shaping a strong school culture.

The Indiana Principal Leadership Institute launched last summer with its inaugural cohort of 57 principals. These principals, who work at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels are currently working on action research projects, which include: increasing classroom observations; increasing teacher collaboration time; working with teachers to utilize peer observations to improve their practice; initiating e-learning initiatives; improving communication with all stakeholders through social media and weekly newsletters; and, implementing 10-minute in-service ideas.

All principals participating in the institute are guided by mentors, who are established and respected educators in their communities. Eleven Hoosier educators currently are serving as mentors to the inaugural class.

In addition to the targeted work with each cohort, the institute is committed to serving as a resource for all Indiana principals, their schools and their school communities by sharing research, providing access to leadership assessments, and offering tools to develop action research plans. IPLI's website is the clearinghouse for this information.

The Indiana Principal Leadership Institute at Indiana State was created by bipartisan legislation authored by Sens. Jim Banks (R-Columbia City) and Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn). It was co-sponsored by Sens. Tim Skinner (D-Terre Haute), Earline Rogers (D-Gary) and Lindel Hume (D-Princeton) and Reps. Bob Heaton (R-Terre Haute), Alan Morrison (R-Terre Haute), Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon), Kreg Battles (D-Vincennes), Sue Errington (D-Muncie), and Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute). The legislation was approved May 2013 by Gov. Mike Pence.

Contact: Dr. Linda Marrs-Morford, director of the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute, Bayh College of Education, Indiana State University, linda.marrs-mordford@indstate.edu