Freshman Transition for the Turnaround Principal

This strand is designed to provide principals with the tools to successfully implement a Freshman Transition initiative -- that can be extended as a school-wide effort -- to improve academic achievement as a part of their school's "turnaround."

Based on The George Washington University's Freshman Transition Initiative model, participants will apply that framework to develop a plan to transform their school culture into a collaborative learning community focused on results.

Throughout the sessions, participating administrators will be using authentic data from their own school/district to:

• Identify the core values within the community, school district, and school
• Establish measurable/attainable evidence to support their Freshman initiative
• Develop at least four goals for the Freshman Transition initiative based on the data/evidence
• Identify the school's key leaders/teachers and their roles for the initiative
• Assign each member of the staff to a focus group for each goal (to be determined by the leadership team using the interests and skill sets of staff members)
• Develop a strategic plan for implementation of the Freshman Course Plan, including strategies/activities, timelines, responsibilities, costs, funding sources, and evidence of implementation