Side-by-side

Novice and veteran principals are a powerful mix for learning in Rhode Island

By Donna Braun and Donna Vigneau Carlson

April 2008

Two key insights guide Rhode Island’s work to support principals. First, leaders at all experience levels need support from a network of colleagues. Second, leaders grow when they work with colleagues of diverse experience levels. That led Rhode Island to create a continuum of support that enables principals to address their learning needs through networks that are immersed in authentic experiences and framed by standards, protocols, and structures that allow leaders to learn from each other’s expertise. Eight years ago, the Big Picture Company, a nonprofit school reform initiative, and the Education Partnership, a statewide nonprofit education advocacy organization, created the Principal Residency Network (PRN), an alternative preparation program in Rhode Island to respond to the need for a new breed of school leaders. PRN’s

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