Four Spring Branch ISD principals received scholarships from Washington Mutual to participate in a week long administrative training program at The Principal’s Center of Harvard’s Graduate Education School this summer. The principals will attend a conference called Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership, from June 30-July 8, which focuses on school improvement through effective leadership.

  

Principals Steve Shorter of Memorial High School, Shawn Bird of Spring Forest Middle School, Luis Pratts of Landrum Middle School and Larry Frederick of Nottingham Elementary School, plan to glean valuable information about their respective leadership areas from their trip to Cambridge, Mass.

 

“By creating a community of learners, Spring Branch offers its principals the opportunity to learn the best practices from top educational leaders. I am excited that the district has given me this opportunity to expand my leadership knowledge and skills,” says Pratt.

 

He hopes to learn about new practices to share new ideas with his staff and benefit the Landrum Middle community.

 

“As a result of my participation in the AOL Conference, it is my hope to gain additional insights and perspectives regarding school leadership,” Larry says, promising to share his experiences with staff in order to continue improving the quality of student education.

 

Bird says he feels privileged to be selected for the program and hopes to grow as a leader as a result of the trip. “Spring Branch has a history of providing outstanding opportunities for employees to get the best staff development available, and certainly learning from the giants in our field will give me this opportunity,” he says.