CSC Meeting School Leader Selection Process

Welcome and Agenda Welcome Overview of school leader selection process Activities and timeline Roles & responsibilities Q&A Discussion Closing

High-level Overview: Principal Selection Process Talent Acquisition Pre-Screen Applicant Screening for Qualified Principal Candidate Pool Advisory Committee Finalist Engagement Superintendent Interview and Offer

Pre-Screen Process Online Application and Principal Applicant Survey Initial Screening by Talent Acquisition screeners Paper screen of resume, cover letter, and letters of recommendation Phone interview discussing past performance – in alignment with the LEAD framework Successful completion of this stage will advance candidate to the in-person interview. * Screeners: former principals

Screening for Qualified Principal Pool Applicants experience a rigorous, 4 hour interview process demonstrating their skills and abilities in activities that are aligned with the DPS School Leadership Framework identified as being critical to lead successfully in DPS. This interview event is scored by instructional superintendents. Interview tasks: Group budget activity Data activity Parent role-play Teacher observation and AP feedback role-play Q&A Interview Successful completion of this interview stage will advance candidate into the Qualified Principal Candidate Pool.

Benefits of the first two levels of the selection process for our schools Capacity at the school level is reserved for candidates who have successfully demonstrated competencies aligned to the DPS framework. The Advisory Committee can then focus on finding someone who aligns with their specific job description. For example, the Advisory Principal Selection Committee will not need to spend any time reviewing the resumes or candidates who lack basic eligibility for the principalship (such as licensure).

Advisory Committee for Principal Selection Selection of Advisory Committee for Principal Selection members occurs at the school site. Only “Qualified Principal Candidate Pool” participants will be selected to interview with an Advisory Committee for Principal Selection. IS/ED reviews Qualified Principal Pool to identify and refer well-matched candidates for school site interviewing.

Advisory Committee for Principal Selection (cont.) IS/ED facilitates the Advisory Committee Interviews Engages Advisory Committee in conversation related to school strengths and needs Engages the Human Resources Partner in training of the Advisory Committee Adds to district-wide Interview Questions by having Advisory Committee reflect on identified needs and select additional interview questions from the Framework-based Question Bank Develops summary of each candidate’s Strengths and Needs IS/ED provides Advisory Committee data to Asst. Supt./Chief as proposal for candidate advancement to Finalist status

SPSAC Membership The Instructional Superintendent/Executive Director will provide for approval of the Advisory Committee membership and will serve as co-chair. The remaining eight to ten members must be representative of the diversity of the school population and will be selected by the school’s CSC with the following level of representation: Five building staff members. This must include three teaching staff members and one non-teaching staff member; the fifth may be any member of the school staff. The current principal is not eligible to serve on the committee. Three to five parent/guardian and community members. The members must include one parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in the school and one CSC representative. The IS/ED reserves the right to refer the composition of the proposed Advisory Committee back to the CSC to ensure adequate representation of the whole community.

Timeline of School Leader Selection Process Week 1: Meeting with the school's Instructional Superintendent and CSC for notification and communication about school leader vacancy; DPS posts job opening for school leader. Week 2: Seek input from the school community on desired attributes for a new school leader; schedule and publicize events. Week 3: Update job posting based on school community input (note that DPS typically maintains an ongoing candidate pool and many principal job postings are posted well in advance); launch the advisory process and distribute nomination forms for SPSAC. Week 4: SPSAC applications/nomination forms due to CSC; CSC recommends committee members to instructional superintendent (IS) and recommends date for HR training; engagement activities as needed. Week 5: SPSAC meets for HR training and question development; IS identifies and contacts pool of candidates to move forward; update school community and publicize candidate forum dates; additional screening by DPS may apply. Week 6: Candidates participate in school based interview and community forum; additional screening by DPS may apply. Week 7: IS recommends finalist for interview with superintendent; candidate(s) interview with superintendent; new school leader chosen!

Key Roles & Responsibilities Insert information about key roles and responsibilities. Suggest: School parent family liaison CSC and PTA members Instructional Superintendent Central office supports Senior Leadership: Superintendent, Chief Schools Officer, etc. Board of Education

3. School Programs/ Student Needs Principal Selection Focus Areas Which areas of focus will be most critical for our school in the next one to five years? 1. School Life Cycle 2. School Size 3. School Programs/ Student Needs 4. School Context IS should share context on their vision. Describe there are two different lenses used for identifying the right school leader – first is the unique context of the school and the second is haing a leader with the right charateristics and wd leadership qualities to achieve and meet the needs of a specific school. School Life Cycle Where is our school now in terms of leadership, enrollment, and academic achievement? School Size What does the size of our school mean for the type of leadership that is needed here? School Programs/Student Needs What specific school programs or student needs will be important for our new principal to understand and manage effectively? School Context What is happening in the school community that will affect our new school leader?

What skills or characteristics will be most important for the next school leader? Teaching & Education Experience: Teaching & Education Experience covers the experience a candidate has with instructional curriculum, teaching in a classroom, specific curriculum such as IB programing, working with specific populations of students, etc. Leadership and Communication Style: Leadership covers the type of leadership experience a candidate has had, such as being a principal or assistant principal, working at a high school in an urban setting, experience managing people, financial or business experience, etc. Communication refers to the style and posture of communication, such as easy going, accessible to parents and students, authoritative, charismatic, accessible, etc. Skills and Characteristics   Discuss some of the skills and characteristics that are important to look for in a principal (customize this discussion based on the group). When we ask people to tell us about skills and characteristics they often fall into a couple main categories: Teaching & Education Experience Leadership and Community Style Give each person a sticky notes to first individually reflect on this question and write as many skills and characteristics that fit within the categories. (You can add in additional questions here, for example: What would success look like five years from now? What are your hopes and dreams for our school? Use popcorn and round robin style sharing to allow participants to share one or two ideas at a time and then place them within the categories on easel paper or a white board. This exercise is best done in groups of 8-15 with a facilitator. Transcribe the results into a working document and keep feedback received separate based on the groups: i.e. students, staff, etc. Parking lot: The Parking Lot will be where we place characteristics and skills that don’t seem to fit with these particular categories. What should be the top three priorities for the new school leader?

What should be the top three priorities for the next school leader? Group brainstorming What skills or characteristics will be most important for the next school leader? What should be the top three priorities for the next school leader?

List events and next steps for the group