A group of Aussie experts have launched a ground-breaking school leadership program in the United States, putting Australian educational leadership firmly on the world stage.
Australia’s National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative (NESLI) was chosen to develop and deliver the interactive NESLI’s ‘Aspiring Superintendents Academy’ program, which will better prepare the next generation of educators for the challenges of school leadership.
In September, decision makers from the United States’ key school leadership organisation, the School Superintendent’s Association (AASA) met with the NESLI team in Washington DC to discuss how to bolster the depth and quality of American school and system leadership.
Following the successful trial of the program in 2018, the Washington DC meeting was a precursor to the national roll-out of the program which will occur in 2019. Currently, NESLI delivers superintendent training across 42 states, and the new initiative will see the program become active across all US states.
Damien Farrell, CEO of NESLI, said the program is “one of the most important future-leading initiatives in today’s US education system”.
“Superintendents in USA are the most critical layer of school administrators,” Farrell told The Educator.
“They represent approximately 13,000 school leaders nationally, and with significant percentage of American school leaders nearing retirement age, the NESLI program is helping to build a pipeline for new talent in this space.”
Farrell said the initiative is “a direct endorsement for the sophistication and strength” of Australian thought leadership and governance.
“The way the program brings cohorts of participants into dynamic communities of learning,” Farrell said.
“Its focus is on creating dynamic, future-thinking system leaders who are ready to lead US children into uncertain and exciting futures.”