Project: Texas Principal Residency Grant Program
The Texas Education Agency partnered with the Southwest Comprehensive Center (formerly the Region 14 Comprehensive Center 2019-2024), to strengthen the Principal Residency Grant Program as a means to provide districts with qualified leaders. Doing so ensures all Texas students have access to high-quality education and the support they need to succeed. Their mission to support the Principal Residency Grant will empower districts with top-notch leaders and encourage the full potential of Texas students.
The Need
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is working to develop strong instructional leaders across the state. TEA supports the Principal Residency Grant Program, created in 2018. The program was designed to build strong campus leaders through a partnership between districts and educator preparation programs. It focuses on providing training on best practices in instructional and campus leadership.
Our Approach
The Southwest Comprehensive Center (Southwest CC) team, including two subject matter experts, worked with TEA to help it strengthen the Principal Residency Grant Program and support the principals in residence. This included creating resources and trainings for the residents on program sustainability.
Resources
One of the resources was a mentor-mentee matching tool that pairs potential principal residents with mentors to support them as they go through the program. The tool includes a rubric for the mentors and mentees to fill out to ensure a strong partnership. The tool also provides guidelines for how mentors should be selected.
The framework developed for the program is a resource for the participants to use to reflect on, organize, track, and implement their programs. Participants and TEA can use this system as they develop and store resources for the program.
Training
The training sessions gave participants the opportunity to learn multiple strategies on how to sustain an effective and rigorous program. Participants gained techniques for strategic recruitment, cohesive alignment to leadership competencies, and low-cost ways to sustain the work done by the Principal Residency Grant Program. Southwest CC recorded one of the trainings so that TEA residents have access to the information.
Southwest CC collaborated with TEA to establish a suggested scope and sequence for milestones related to program implementations to best serve its residents. In addition, Southwest CC served as a thought partner for determining how TEA recruits districts and partners with the educator preparation programs.
Southwest CC also supported the annual Principal Residency Summer Institute by assisting with planning, facilitation, logistical support, and leading sessions. The purpose of the institute is to support principal residents, their mentors and districts, and their educator preparation partners as they implement their principal resident programs.
Advancing Forward
Southwest CC and TEA are working to ensure that the program remains sustainable. Southwest CC recently led a training on sustainability for the grantees and will continue to provide support as needed. Currently, TEA is onboarding a new staff member, so Southwest CC will work to support their growth with the project.
Disclaimer: This content was developed during the 2019-2024 cohort of the Comprehensive Centers Program as the Region 14 Comprehensive Center (now the Southwest Comprehensive Center 2024-2029). We are proud to continue service in our region as the Southwest Comprehensive Center, supporting educational outcomes in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
