District of Columbia Public Schools Taps New Leaders to Coach Principals and Reframe K-12 Leader Evaluation

The national nonprofit will work with DCPS to coach school leaders to help drive instructional excellence at scale and co-develop and implement a new principal evaluation system‍

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 3, 2023

NEW YORK, NY –  Today, New Leaders announced its partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) to support the social emotional well-being and professional growth of school and district-level leaders through one-on-one coaching and updates to the district’s principal evaluation model. 

Providing coaching, and an effective evaluation framework in tandem, is essential to empower and retain leaders. Research has found that only 23% of elementary school leaders have a coach or mentor. DCPS coaching participants will receive individualized coaching sessions and leadership development trainings that stimulate and enhance problem solving skills and help leaders redefine their roles as agents of change.

“DC Public Schools values the contributions of our school leaders as they create a supportive and collaborative culture for our teachers and a joyful learning environment for our students,” said DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee. “As we partner with New Leaders for this evaluation framework, we seek to empower our principals and support their successes with additional leadership development opportunities that will lead to school-wide improvements and student achievement gains.” 

New Leaders will also perform an audit of DCPS’s existing model of principal evaluation and then engage multiple stakeholders to revise a development framework that measures the impact and efficacy of school leaders.

“We know that at the heart of each school leader’s core mission is the drive to truly accelerate student learning. The leaders we develop are driving quantifiable outcomes in learning, teaching and equity at their schools,” said Michelle Pierre-Farid, National Senior Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships & Alumni Impact at New Leaders. “Independent evaluations show that students in schools led by New Leaders principals perform better in reading and math, have better attendance rates, and go to schools where principals are staying in their roles longer. We’re excited to partner with DCPS to help them rethink the role and development of principals in today’s K-12 environment.” 

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About the District of Columbia Public Schools

DC Public Schools provides rigorous and joyful learning experiences to nearly 50,000 students in Washington, DC. Together, DC Public Schools teachers, leaders, and families work to make every student feel loved, challenged, and prepared to positively influence society and thrive in life.

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About New Leaders

New Leaders is redefining how schools are led. New Leaders builds the capacity of equity-minded school leaders who are committed to the success of every child. Our leaders remove barriers to success for underestimated and underserved students, supporting students in fully realizing their futures as the next generation of great thinkers, innovators, and leaders for our society. In 20 years, we have trained more than 8,000 equity-focused leaders—sixty percent of whom identify as leaders of color. Our leaders impact more than two million students in our K-12 school system annually and serve as powerful and positive forces for change in their communities.