Leader Fellowships

Simply Great Schools has deep experience running fellowships for school leaders (and aspiring school leaders), principal managers (and aspiring principal managers), and CEOs/CAOS (and aspiring C-Suite leaders). We know that these leaders are responsible for building learning engines for the leaders and teachers in their organizations. We support leader skill development (through world-class practice and coaching) and support leaders in the strong execution of a robust playbook of customizable and turnkey-able PDs and systems.  

The core components of the fellowships are as follows, though each fellowship is customized further to meet the needs of individual networks, city organizations, or districts.

We work with schools to be able to ensure the following are true:

  • Readiness: Whatever the role (dean, principal, principal manager, CEO), there are a set of core plans and systems that are essential. We unpack these together and support fellows to have rock-solid plans entering the next school year. For example, CEOs must ensure the mission, vision, values, network report card, and school report card are simple, clear, and widely shared. Principals must ensure that Top 5 goals, roles & responsibilities, coaching matrix, and “common pictures” for lunch/dismissal/arrival/etc. are simple, clear, and widely shared (and practiced). 

  • Skills: We apply the critical leadership skills – coaching, real-time coaching, resetting culture, leading data meetings, leading PD, critical conversations, hiring – to the particular job and practice these skills in context. Leaders leave with confidence to effectively leverage these skills at ever higher levels of leadership.

  • Mindset & Reflection: We come back frequently to the mindsets common to great leaders, highlighting exemplars from education and beyond, and we support fellows to chart and celebrate their growth and make commitments to keep growing.

    What does this look like?

    • In-person, practice-based professional development: 5 days: Summer Leader Intensive: Leader Mindsets, Core Skills (PD, Coaching Real-time Coaching, Critical Conversations, Data Meetings, Hiring) in scenarios contextual to the role.

    • Zoom-based PD: Nine 1.5-2 hour Zoom sessions. Each session practices a critical leader skill or skills while systematically introducing core readiness items.

    • Zoom-based coaching: Nine 1-hour Zoom sessions per leader. Each session reviews data, stamps clear “keep doings” and names clear action step, practices leader skills, and supports leader problem-solving.

    • In-person, site-based visits: 2-4 half-day visits per school. These visits support leaders to effectively prioritize their time and execute their role at a high level.

    • Access to the full Simply Great Schools Toolkit: “Goldmine” … “Leader Fantasy” … “Incredible Resource” … “Saves me Hundreds – if not Thousands – of hours” When we share our toolkit with C-Suite and school leaders, they are simply amazed. It is unlike anything our partners have ever seen in its comprehensiveness and simplicity. Network-wide tools and plans. Every staff-wide PD for the year. All the coaching tools. Every data tracker. Exemplars for all Readiness items. Talent Calendar with all the tools. All of this in a clear folder system with all resources linked. This toolkit takes the best of what worked at Achievement First and other top charter organizations and makes it clear, simple, and actionable for any school leader.


      Partnership Example: Simply Great Schools partnered with The Mind Trust in Indianapolis. Mind Trust is one of the country’s leading city “harbormaster” organizations, and they partnered with us to redesign a fellowship for future school leaders (leaders who would start a school in 1 or 2 years) and emerging leaders (leaders taking on their first roles as department chairs, APs, etc.). 

      After over 25 sessions with the School Leader Fellows, we’ve averaged 99% agrees/strongly agrees to our questions about PD quality, and we’ve gotten tremendous feedback from the fellows. An illustrative quote: "My biggest take-away from the intensive week is that as a teacher, I didn't wait to give my scholars feedback. As a coach, I shouldn't wait to give my teachers feedback … This was truly the best PD I have attended in my 9 years in education, and I sincerely thank you both for your time."