With the current statewide budget shortfalls and the economic crisis, many school districts (especially in low-income, high-need areas) are slashing their professional development allocations. The Nellie Mae Education Foundation recognized this problem, and generously gave scholarships to 16 Massachusetts Principals to attend the CAYL Institute National PrincipalsConference.

With the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s support, The CAYL Institute reached out to several school districts in Massachusetts, to provide some initial support that prepared their Principals for the Conference, to finance their full participation in the Conference,and to enable CAYL to continue follow up with these Principals post-Conference. The CAYL Institute identified the school districts and worked with the Principals to introduce them to CAYL’s cohort model and to prepare them to attend the Conference. CAYL provided them with support, information, tools, and the knowledge base to bring to the Conference.

The goal for these scholarships was to increase the knowledge base of elementary school Principals who lead underserved schools, thereby building the overall capacity of the district. Working closely with cohorts of Principals has helped the CAYL Institute to identify their uniqueconcerns and needs, as well as to provide tailored tools and techniques to help the districts make improvements and achieve success. In this way, we have brought them into our existing Massachusetts community of Principals engaged in this important and innovative work. In addition, CAYL provided the Principal Scholars with individual copies of the CAYL Principals Toolkit.

 

The Principals are:

• Rhonda Brenner, Assistant Principal at Columbus Elementary School in Medford, MA

• Lisa Buchinski, Principal at Crosby Elementary School in Pittsfield, MA

• Susan Burt, Principal at the Capeless School in Pittsfield, MA

• Joseph Curtis, Principal at Morningside Community School in Pittsfield, MA

• Jillayne Flanders, Principal at Plains Elementary School in South Hadley, MA

• Kathleen Ford-Pelley, Assistant Principal at Leicester Primary School/ Leicester Memorial Elementary School in Leicester, MA

• Neil Gile, Principal at Quarry Hill Community School in Monson, MA

• Shelley Gross, Early Childhood Director at Medford Public Schools in Medford, MA

• Pamela Holmes, Supervisor of Early Childhood Education at Somerville Public Schools in Somerville, MA

• Jose Irizarry, Principal at Ells Elementary School in Springfield, MA

• Donna Leep, Principal at the Conte Community School in Pittsfield, MA

• Greg Martineau, Principal at Leicester Memorial Elementary School in Leicester, MA

• Norma Micheroni, Assistant Principal at the John Breen School in Lawrence, MA

• Michael Sabin, Principal at the Arthur D. Healey School in Somerville, MA

• Michael Simon, Principal at the Brooks School, in Medford, MA

• Debbie White, Principal in the Central Berkshire Regional School District in Dalton, MA