Academy Overview
The NAESP academy consists of a multifaceted and highly engaging blended learning experience specifically for principals and district leaders charged with leading early learning. This cohort-based professional learning opportunity is provided in state or district settings and is based on the publication Leading Learning Communities: A Principal’s Guide to Early Learning and the Early Grades (Pre-K–3rd Grade). NAESP is proud to have received an ASAE Power of A Silver Award for the Pre-K-3 Leadership Academy®.
Program Description
A trained Pre-K-3 Leadership Advisor will guide learners through two levels of online coursework grounded in current early learning research and designed to build the capacity of each learner to lead early learning in their state and/or district. Each lesson is structured to provide resources and engage learners in professional learning communities through online discussions culminating in a capstone experience that is individualized, relevant to the participants’ professional growth, and promotes the success of the participant within their current school community. The program is easily adopted by states and districts in order to offer a micro-credential in Pre-K-3 leadership.
The NAESP Pre-K–3 Leadership Academy® has graduated cohorts in Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska, and Washington, D.C. Please contact Honor Fede at hfede@naesp.org for more information.
Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities
This groundbreaking work provides a structure and a set of competencies that can guide principals in creating and supporting connections between birth to age five and K-12 systems in order to build a successful Pre-K−3rd grade continuum in their schools. This guide will help school leaders identify important areas of focus, fine-tune developmentally appropriate leadership practices, and align Pre-K experiences with early elementary grades, thereby providing a coherent, related set of learning experiences for children during the first critical years of schooling.