Become a New Leader

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have unanswered questions about New Leaders for New Schools, we hope you will attend an information session or contact us. However, some common questions about New Leaders for New Schools are answered below. They are arranged into the following categories:

Application
Admissions
Diversity
Matriculation
Training and Support During the Residency Year
Ongoing Support After the Residency Year
Certification
Assignment and Placement
Finances, Salary and Benefits

Application

When are the application deadlines?

Application deadlines for our Summer 2009 Cohort are as follows:

Priority Deadline

October 27, 2008

Final Deadline

February 17, 2009

What is the difference between the priority and final deadlines?
New Leaders for New Schools' application process is designed so that every candidate who meets our rigorous Selection Criteria is extended an offer to join as a New Leader Resident. Applicants are evaluated based on the same Selection Criteria regardless of the deadline for which they apply, and New Leaders for New Schools does not designate a certain number of positions to be filled during each deadline. The standard your application must meet in order to be accepted will not be affected by the deadline to which you apply or by the number of other people applying to that deadline.

However, we strongly encourage you to apply to the priority deadline. There are many benefits to applying to the priority deadline, including earlier notification. Priority deadline applicants are notified of their acceptance by late January or early February, whereas final deadline applicants are not notified until mid-May. This allows priority deadline applicants more time to notify their current place of employment, prepare for the Summer Foundations, and make travel arrangements.

What does the ideal candidate look like?
There is no ideal candidate profile. New Leaders are current teachers and teacher leaders, former teachers turned for-profit and non-profit leaders, and everything in between. Our New Leaders are diverse in every respect and come from varied backgrounds. However, all successful candidates have an unwavering focus and relentless drive to bring our community's core beliefs into practice—most importantly, an unyielding belief in the potential of every child to achieve academically at high levels. Additionally, all New Leaders have instructional expertise in a K-12 classroom, a record of success in leading adults, and the capacity to define a vision, build teams to get results, and achieve despite tremendous obstacles. Successful candidates meet our 10 Selection Criteria

Who is eligible to apply to New Leaders for New Schools? What is the minimum number of years of teaching experience required to apply?
While all applicants must meet our rigorous Selection Criteria, there are minimum application requirements that vary by program city. Our New Leaders have between 2 and 25 years of classroom experience with an average of 7 years. All applicants must possess instructional expertise in a K-12 setting including, at minimum, 2-3 years of full-time K-12 classroom teaching experience, depending on the program site. A teaching certificate is required in some of our program cities. Please see our website for city-specific information.

Can I fax or email my application?
No, only on-line applications are accepted. If you experience technical problems with the online application, please check the user guide posted on our website or call the appropriate local program office for assistance.

If I apply for the priority deadline and am denied, can I reapply at the final deadline?
No, you cannot reapply in the same academic year. However, you are welcome to apply again in following years. During that time, we encourage you to reflect on our Selection Criteria and seek opportunities for professional development in areas of the Selection Criteria that you may not have demonstrated during the process.

What browser or system requirements should I know about before using the Applicant Portal?
The New Leaders Applicant Portal supports the following browsers: Microsoft IE 6.0, Microsoft IE 7.0, Mozilla Firefox 2.x, and Apple Safari 3.0 (on MacOS X 10.4 and later). Regardless of which browser you use, JavaScript must be enabled, and SSL v3 and 128-bit encryption must be available in your browser. Microsoft IE 6 or 7 users should make sure they have applied the latest updates for the version they are using.

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Admissions

Can I change my program site preference after I have applied?
Yes, you can change your program site preference after submitting your application. However, if you are invited to a Finalist Selection Day, we must know your final program site preference beforehand. Finalist Selection Days must be attended in the program site to which you are applying.

When will you call references?
New Leaders will call references for certain candidates after Finalist Selection Day. We will not contact references beforehand.

Do you give feedback to candidates who are denied?
Due to the large number of applicants and the high volume of requests, we are unable to provide feedback to individual candidates who are denied admission. We encourage all applicants to carefully review our Selection Criteria and self-assess their strengths and growth areas.

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Diversity

How diverse are New Leaders?
Because selection to become a New Leader is competency-based, our community is very diverse: New Leaders range in age from 26 to 60. Two thirds are people of color. One third of New Leaders are men, and two thirds are women. New Leaders have experience in district, alternative, and charter schools, and bring with them a wide range of rich professional and personal experiences.

While all of our New Leaders have prior teaching experience, half come directly from the school systems with which we partner and half come from outside these systems, representing diverse, successful backgrounds in schools, universities, companies, non-profit organizations and foundations.

What role does race/ethnicity play in the admissions process?
While we highly value our diverse New Leaders Community, which currently includes two thirds people of color, race and ethnicity are not taken into account in the selection of Residents. We strive to create a diverse community through proactive recruitment efforts aimed at diverse audiences, and we encourage individuals of all ethnicities to apply.

Are you looking for people in a certain age group?
No. New Leaders range in age from 26 to 60 years old at the time of entry to our program. Our competency-based selection process ensures that New Leaders come from a wide range of pathways and experiences. We encourage candidates of all ages to apply.

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Matriculation

If I am accepted but do not matriculate, can I apply again?
You cannot apply twice in the same academic year, but you are welcome to reapply in following years. During that time, we encourage you to reflect on our Selection Criteria and seek opportunities for professional development.

Can I be a New Leader for less than six years?
No. New Leaders sign a contract and make a binding commitment to serve as a leader for at least six years (including the residency) in the program site to which they are admitted. In exchange, all New Leaders benefit from the tuition-free training, coursework, and certification program in addition to a paid residency with benefits. The residency year counts as one of the five (or six) years.

How can I better prepare myself to be a New Leader Resident?
New Leaders for New Schools encourages potential Residents to take on leadership roles, gain familiarity with social change and education reform issues, keep track of innovative ideas that you may want to implement as a school leader, and seek feedback on opportunities for continued growth.

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Training and Support During the Residency Year

What type of training and support is provided?
Foundations - the key academic component of New Leaders for New Schools' training program - has two parts: one summer session and four week-long seminars during the school year. The program begins with Summer Foundations, bringing together all New Leaders Residents from across the country for a rigorous five-week training taught by outstanding principals and national education and business leaders. New Leaders receive several years of support, coaching, and mentoring from Leadership Coaches or Specialists, outstanding former principals who serve on our staff.

Do I have to attend the entire Summer Foundations Institute?
Yes. The Summer Foundations Institute is five weeks long, and it is critical that all Residents fully engage in all courses and professional development opportunities presented. Through this coursework, New Leaders will gain essential knowledge and skills that will become the foundation of their future work as a principal.

Do I still have to attend New Leaders for New Schools' Summer Foundations Institute if I have already completed coursework toward my administrative/supervisory certification?
Yes. Foundations is an integral part of the New Leaders program, and all Residents are required to attend the full session. New Leaders for New Schools is uniquely designed to provide a significant amount of coursework and training in a short period of time, and therefore all components of the program are required.

What does a typical day at Foundations look like?
Foundations is an intense and inspiring learning experience with classes beginning early and work often stretching into the evening. Residents attend sessions with faculty from 8AM until approximately 4PM. Sessions may include discussions, small group work, lectures and presentations. On some afternoons, Residents participate in case-study groups, peer-led presentations, optional discussion sessions, and/or book talks. Evenings may be devoted to reading, assignments, special presenters and/or preparation for class. Some afternoons, evenings, and weekends are free of any scheduled activities so Residents can take much-needed breaks and leverage opportunities to connect with one another. A full schedule of courses and activities will be available before you arrive so that you can plan accordingly.

What are the living arrangements during the Summer Foundations Institute?
During the institute, Residents live and work together in dormitory-style housing. Housing and meals are paid for by New Leaders for New Schools. Because of the demanding schedule of the institute and the need to collaborate with other Residents and the institute faculty, all Residents are required to live in institute housing for the full five weeks.

New Leaders for New Schools may be able to arrange family housing for Residents who choose to bring family members to the institute. However, Residents are responsible for any costs incurred for the lodging of family member(s).

What will I do during the residency?
Following the Summer Foundations, you will spend a year in a paid, full-time residency at an urban public school alongside a carefully matched mentor principal. The residency builds upon summer coursework, enabling Residents to become full members of school leadership teams, drive academic achievement for a defined set of students, and apply skills learned through authentic work. You will also work with your Leadership Coach/Specialist to develop and manage a personalized growth plan.

There are three year-long Rresidency projects that provide you with the opportunity to gain and demonstrate competency in the core work of the principalship - increasing student achievement. In the literacy and math projects, you will work with a team of teachers to improve instruction in ways that result in increased student achievement. In these projects, you will work with a veteran teacher, a new teacher, and a resistant teacher to improve teaching strategies. You will focus on a particular grade level and devise a plan to increase student proficiency with a teacher team. In the third project, you will design a comprehensive school plan based on your own vision and mission of a high performing school. This school plan will serve as a guide for the new or existing school you will lead as a principal.

The residency is a full-time, full-year field experience consisting of working with a selected mentor principal in an urban public school as a member of the school's leadership team or cabinet. It is a Resident-driven learning experience, in which New Leaders take responsibility for working with multiple teams of teachers to improve the academic achievement of defined groups of students. Through the residency, Residents demonstrate their understanding and application of the key skills presented in Foundations coursework, and they develop their proficiency in the New Leaders Principal Leadership Competencies based on an individualized Principal Leadership Development Plan. In addition to working in their schools, Residents attend weekly city meetings led by Leadership Coaches/Specialists, who are all experienced former principals. The Coaches/Specialists visit Residents regularly at their sites and support Residents' implementation of their learning and skills.

Residents are required to attend four week-long Foundations Seminars during the residency year. Foundations Seminars provide Residents with an opportunity to continue the formal coursework that began during Summer Foundations - but this time, with real-world school leadership experiences from the residency to inform and enhance the learning experience. Several courses begun in the summer - including Data Driven Instruction and Assessments, Observation and Supervision of Instruction, Literacy, and Math - will be continued during Foundations Seminars; other specific topics and courses will be presented during Seminars only.

During the residency year, Residents also complete three major residency projects. Two of these focus on increasing student achievement in literacy and in math for a defined group of students. The third project focuses on creating a personalized vision of the school the Resident will lead upon becoming a Principal.

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Ongoing Support After the Residency Year

What kind of support does New Leaders for New Schools provide after the residency year?
New Leaders for New Schools provides ongoing support once individuals are placed as school leaders in urban public schools. After the residency year, New Leaders receive additional years of on-the-job coaching and support from Leadership Coaches/Specialists. As members of their city teams, cohort groups, and a national community, New Leaders continue to meet and connect to share promising practices, build skills, and learn from one another.

Our goal is that each Resident becomes a highly effective and autonomous school leader with demonstrated results after completing the residency. To support these goals, New Leaders for New Schools provides a number of School Leader Support activities, such as one-on-one conversations with a Leadership Coach/Specialist, national and local seminars, small and large group discussions (typically bi-monthly meetings), and school visits. Some of these address the common needs of new urban school principals, reflecting the experiences of and challenges facing our newest New Leaders principals. Others are tailored very specifically to the individual needs of each New Leader, based on his/her own areas of learning and on the context and situation of his/her school. Most importantly, all of this advice and support will continue to revolve around keeping a sharp focus on student achievement and excellent teaching amidst the many competing and challenging demands of urban school leadership.

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Certification

Will I have my administrative certification after my residency?
Upon completion of the residency year and city-specific requirements, most New Leaders receive formal certification and licensure as administrators in their respective states.

Each program site either has a university partner that recognizes the New Leaders for New Schools coursework that leads to administrative certification or has been formally approved by the city and state as a certifying program. In all cases, we have mapped our curriculum to state standards and as long as you successfully complete the requirements of the New Leaders for New Schools residency, coursework, and weekly seminars, you will receive certification. Some program sites require that you pass additional state and/or district assessments during or at the end of your residency to obtain certification. For more information, please contact our local program offices.

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Assignment and Placement

How will I be matched with a mentor principal and school during the residency?
The residency requires that New Leaders play a critical leadership role in a school, so Residents are placed at sites with mentors who are willing to empower them and set them up for success. We work with mentors who believe in the mission of New Leaders for New Schools and are committed to ensuring that all students succeed academically.

Upon matriculation, local program teams match each Resident with a mentor principal who has demonstrated leadership skills and a successful record of increasing student achievement. We work hard to ensure that the pairing be complementary, allowing the Resident to be both challenged and given the opportunity to apply his or her expertise toward the growth of the school.

Residents are placed in an urban public school that provides opportunities to take on responsibilities which will increase their leadership proficiencies. This relationship is characterized by a give and take connection. The mentor principals share their professional knowledge and experience and provide the Residents with opportunities to lead and participate in the roles and responsibilities of urban school principals. The Residents, in turn, collaboratively identify needs at the residency site that, if addressed, also enable the Residents to gain proficiency in the New Leaders for New Schools Principal Leadership Competencies.

Before matching you with a mentor principal, your Leadership Coach/Specialist and /or local Executive Director will reach out to you to learn more about your preferences around grade level, type of school, and learning areas. They will also take into account the areas of strength and growth they observed during the admissions process.

What do Residents do after they complete the residency?
Residents are formally assessed at three times during the residency year - after the Summer Foundations, at mid-year, and at the end of the residency year. At each stage, there are clear standards for evaluation and expectations for all New Leaders. If a Resident is positively assessed as having successfully completed the residency year (this is the case for the majority of those admitted to the program), our local program offices work with New Leaders to secure a principalship or assistant principalship, helping Residents gain access to the job market and preparing them for interviews. Staff help Residents gain access to the job market and prepare them for interviews. Once a position is secured, New Leaders receive help getting ready for the start of school with intense entry preparation. After school launch, New Leaders receive several years of on-the-job coaching from a Leadership Coach/Specialist. In addition, as part of the growing New Leaders national community, they continue to meet and connect regularly with fellow New Leaders to share promising practices and brainstorm solutions to challenges.

How will I secure a position as a principal after completing the residency?
New Leaders are responsible for finding their own placements as principals. While we support New Leaders in the job search process, we do not place New Leaders in a principalship after completion of the residency. We work closely with each New Leader to identify openings that may be a strong match for him or her, but each individual is responsible for pursuing job opportunities and securing a placement. The choice of size, type, and culture of a school are left to the individual, allowing flexibility in the job search process.

What types of schools do New Leaders lead?
New Leaders serve in a variety of schools, including existing schools and new start-ups, and a variety of grade levels ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

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Finances, Salary and Benefits

Do I have to pay a fee for the coursework and instruction I am receiving?
No, you do not need to pay for your coursework. In return for your commitment to serve as a school leader, for at least six years (including your residency), you will receive coursework, instruction, and support worth approximately $70,000.

Will I get a salary and benefits during the residency?
Yes. Residents are paid directly by the school districts or charter systems for which they work and will receive salaries and benefits commensurate with those of assistant principals.

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Need Help with
your Application?

Email apphelp@nlns.org
or call 866-649-0701.