July 2005
Contact: Dorothy Wills-Raftery
(845) 255-1400 xt. 1209

Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center Summer Leadership Institute

On a daily basis, school principals face many challenges, from the diverse demands that come with a building full of students to issues and practices pertaining to curriculum reform, instructional strategies, and strategic planning.

This, plus much more, was discussed in depth at the Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center Summer Leadership Institute that took place recently at the SUNY New Paltz Campus.

The Summer Leadership Institute featured keynote speaker Heidi Hayes Jacobs, president of Curriculum Designers, Inc., educational consultant, and author, as well as many other professional educators and administrators who conducted informative workshops including, Supportive Supervision: Becoming a Teacher of Teachers, Observing the Classroom of Choice, Strategic Leadership: Data Driven Decisions and Practice, Issues in Youth Development: a Two-Part Session, Sharpening Supervisory Skills, A View of the Principalship from an International Perspective, and What Successful Administrators Do.

“Improvement in student performance can be in developing academic skills, but it can also focus on developing character traits, aesthetic awareness, or athletic prowess,” states Jacobs. “Students in any given environment need a range of proficiencies to increase the quality of their work and their lives.”

This two-day Summer Leadership Institute is one of many the Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center provides to help school administrators hone the leadership skills required to keep their teachers on the cutting edge. The Principals’ Center provides a wide range of professional development opportunities specifically designed to meet the needs of school administrators in the Hudson Valley. Principals are the Center’s main focus, but the overall mission is to improve student achievement.

“Providing support to school administrators with critical knowledge and practitioner’s skills is the foundation of the Principals’ Center,” said Jane Bullowa, co-director of the Center and assistant superintendent for Instructional Services at Ulster BOCES.

The Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center provides in-depth training opportunities for administrators and supervisors with a focus on transferring theory into practice. The Center offers workshops focusing on the development of school leaders who themselves are engaged in ongoing professional growth. For information on becoming a member district or for program information, please contact either Jane Bullowa at 845-255-1402, ext. 1278 or Dr. Anthony J. Amodeo at 255-3020.