"I believe that when a school is running well it feels like a family. Yes, we bump into one another, there’s brutal honesty, wonderful laughter and a lot of pain, but leading a school takes a special kind of strength. Not the kind of strength that comes from being a lonely, smoldering superhero, no, running a school takes much more strength than that. The strength required to run a successful school can only come from the unbreakable bond that happens when educators begin to believe that they are part of a family. That is what I experienced during my journey through LSP."
Paul Hirsch
Principal
STEM Academy @ Bernstein
"I wonder what kind of school [my school] would be now if I did not attend LSP. I know I would have made so many more mistakes and made the wrong leadership moves. I believe I am still developing as a leader and would not be as effective if it were not for LSP. I remember my first lesson in LSP1: how I show up, my presence and attitude determines my whole community’s day. I think that was when I realized how much my job and position impact the lives of so many. I am so grateful for these two years of seminars and coaching. As a leader I have developed the ability to question how I govern so I can build capacity, to revisit my principles in order to articulate my vision, to make better decisions alone or with a team, and to maintain my focus on children and what is right for them."
Tina K. Lagdamen
Principal
Bessie Carmichael/ FEC Prek-8, SFUSD
"During my time in the LSP program, I have learned to project the correct presence and attitude. I have learned that, due to positionality, I must always lead with integrity and be visible to all. Through my work with my coach and colleagues, I have improved in the area of difficult conversations and being an advocate for students even when those positions are not popular. When communicating new initiatives, I have learned to be thoughtful about thinking of the rationale and multiple perspectives. My work in LSP has taken me on a long journey, but made me a stronger principal than had I never had the experience."
Adam Jaquette
Principal
Anderson Elementary, Lawndale Elementary School District
"It is one thing to have a vision, but a truly transformational leader is capable of sharing the vision and motivating others. In my educational journey I have transformed my thinking from one activity at a time to long-term decision making. The relationship with parents and stakeholders differs from being a teacher versus an administrator, so does your responsibility. I have learned that I am a role model. My students, parents, and teachers observe my every move and critique my every decision. I once considered these critiques as judgments, now I consider them opportunities for growth. LSP has taught me to be strong and to advocate for those not able to fight back."
La Tonya Cruthird
Assistant Principal
Cooper Elementary School
"Over the past two years, I have had a lot of growth in LSP. LSP has provided me with time to reflect on my journey. As I reflect on my two years at UC Berkeley, I have made tremendous growth in areas that were not my strengths coming into the program. I have had many 'courageous conversations' over the past two years, which has created growth and reflection for both me and the teachers involved."
Blair Wilkins
Vice Principal, Deer Valley Academy of Performing Arts
Antioch Unified School District
"I learned that the deliberate focus on the use of time by collecting and assessing data, setting goals, and developing action plans with support from colleagues led me to changes that feel deep and sustainable over time and not just temporary fixes. As a leader, I will use the process of this project as a model to help me and others I supervise approach changing what is not working. In addition, this process showed me that feelings of frustration can be an opportunity to do something different and gain growth as a leader rather than something to accept and bear. Finally, I learned that eliciting support and using my resources is key in any change process. Not feeling alone to meet my goals made them accomplishable and not overwhelming. All in all, the [Time Use Change Project] is something I would recommend to leaders in any field."
Aman Watson
Assistant Principal
Oakland Unified School District
"Due to my experience in the Leadership Support Program, I can honestly say that I am a completely different educator, administrator, and leader. What really helped put everything into perspective for me were the monthly Seminars we had with our cohorts. Discussing the readings and assignments and being able to share our experiences became a huge source of support and motivation that I was not expecting. The seminars always rejuvenated me in a sense, and gave me the strength to continue the work. Although we were on different paths, our journey and experiences were very similar. We were able to lean on each other for support and were always able to provide a solution or some type of suggestion for our concerns."
Oscar Rodriguez
Assistant Principal
Inglewood High School for the Inglewood Unified School District
"Through LSP I have grown not only in professional skill and acumen, I have grown in confidence and belief. I think that I behave more like a leader. I know that I am better able to help the schools I serve create a learning environment of caring, hope, and high expectations. I especially grew as an instructional leader, being able to support effective teaching and learning and hopefully provide a quality, well-rounded public school education for the communities I serve. I am grateful for the wonderful role models I had in LSP. They not only demonstrated exemplary professional behavior and educational leadership, they also demonstrated love and support above and beyond what I could have hoped for in an academic setting. I can only hope to have the level of impact on those adults and students I lead, as my instructors and coaches have had on me professionally and personally."
William Allums
Vice Principal
Martin Luther King Elementary, West Contra Costa USD
"During LSP, I refined my practice as a leader to align systems, structures, resources, and operations in the service of optimizing equitable outcomes for all students. I learned that leaders need to build foundational knowledge of standards, curriculum, and instruction in order to foster a culture of high expectations and sustainable excellence for teachers and students; that we need to engage all constituents in change efforts to respond collectively and coherently to the assets and challenges in schools and communities; and that we need to consistently focus on improving student learning by using data from multiple measures to guide change efforts."
Jesch Reyes
Supervisor - Research, Planning, and Assessments
San Francisco Unified School District
"Four years ago, when I began my work as an administrator, my intention was to be an instructional leader, a coach, a facilitator, someone who could create an environment where teachers and students can improve themselves. The first three years resulted in the same feeling when you wait in line for hours, to get on the best ride in the amusement park, only to find out it was nothing like you had expected. Surprisingly, it took a complete derailment of leadership and urgency for me to begin the conversations that are essential for equitable teaching and learning. My coach and seminar cohort were critical in this process and the Leadership Connection Rubric was like a road map guiding me back on track."
Renata Gusmão-Garcia Williams M.Ed, NBCT
Cotsen Fellow
UCLA Lab School
Assistant Principal
"During LSP, I was given the focus that I lacked in helping me navigate my leadership journey. I can now walk confidently knowing that I have a leadership foundation that is built on equitable practices that improve student learning. I also have to acknowledge that my leadership growth started from within and it was from that point forward that I was able to allow others to see me as the leader that I am. Each artifact that supports my professional growth also supports my personal growth in areas such as resiliency, communication skills, and decision-making capabilities. I learned that before I can lead others, I need to lead myself, and have a clear vision for myself."
Leslee Velasquez
Curriculum Coordinator
Vaughn Next Century Learning Center