Star Staff Reports
Brooke Shipley LaToya Avery
Twenty-six assistant principals will participate in a one-year fellowship program as part of Tennessee’s drive to cultivate school leaders for the future. Gov. Bill Haslam on Friday announced educators chosen for his 2018 Governor’s Academy for School Leadership, as well as the 26 principals who will mentor them. The initiative is in response to the growing body of research showing the significance of principals in developing effective teachers — and therefore improving student outcomes. “You can walk into a school and tell right away if there is a great principal who is leading effectively,” Haslam said in his announcement. “Great principals attract and keep great teachers, and great teachers lead to student success.” This will be the third class of the Governor’s Academy, which launched in 2016 as a partnership of the state, local school districts, and Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development. Fellows were nominated by their superintendents and selected by the partnership through an application and interview process. Each fellow is paired with an experienced principal mentor, must attend monthly group training sessions and a week-long summer institute at Vanderbilt, and intern three days a month at his or her mentor’s school. Upon completion, they are expected to pursue placement as a school principal in their districts or regions. (At least 18 have been promoted so far.)
Chosen for the 2018 academy was LaToya Avery of Drummonds Elementary School (Tipton County Schools) and this year’s principal mentor is Brooke Shipley of Brighton Elementary School.
