CALSA Summer Institute 2025

School systems thrive when we intentionally develop and nurture leadership potential from within. This session will highlight an internal leadership development model designed to grow assistant principals through purposeful collaboration, mentorship, and experiential learning. Participants will explore how our Assistant Principal Cohort fosters leadership readiness by engaging in School Culture Walkthroughs, Professional Learning Communities, and Critical Friends protocols.
We will share how creating structured leadership pathways supports succession planning, builds stronger leadership pipelines, and strengthens school culture districtwide. The session will feature a dynamic panel of current and former Assistant Principals who will share their growth journeys, mentorship experiences, and how the cohort model helped prepare them for higher leadership roles, including principalships. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to implement or refine district leadership development structures.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants will:
Understand key practices for building internal leadership capacity among assistant principals.
Learn how collaborative models (culture walkthroughs, PLCs, critical friends protocols) support leadership growth.
Hear authentic experiences from cohort participants and how mentorship accelerated their leadership trajectory.
Gain strategies to create or enhance leadership development and mentorship programs within their own districts.