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2003
Summer Institute a "Home Run"
Nearly
400 high school principals from eleven states gathered in
Portland, Oregon in July to address critical issues facing
America’s schools. During this three day meeting of the
Principals’ Partnership, sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad,
principals addressed questions about funding, high stakes
testing, Reading, and dozens of other critical topics affecting
high schools.
Dick Davidson, Union Pacific
CEO, opened the conference by telling principals, "you
have one of the toughest job in the nation." He added
that the challenges have never been greater: there are more
demands for accountability, declining resources, and more
challenging social issues in the schools. "You are being
asked to do more with less," Davidson said. At the same
time, he said, the nation is counting on principals to prepare
graduates for a more demanding global work environment.
In his opening speech, Dudley
Flood, former Deputy Commissioner of Education for North Carolina
and a widely-recognized motivational speaker, reminded principals
that in this more complicated world, "different is NOT
deficient." He called upon principals to focus on assuring
high quality educational experiences for all of America’s
youth, regardless of their economic or social background.
The Principals’ Partnership
involves public high school principals from Union Pacific
communities in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Washington. According
to Darlynn Herweg, Director of the Union Pacific Foundation,
within the next three years, the Partnership will include
over 1000 principals from 23 states served by Union Pacific.
Davidson said that UP is interested in high schools because
strong leaders produce strong schools – and the future
of all American business depends on highly qualified high
school graduates.
Principals attending the conference
chose from nearly 75 sessions dealing with topics ranging
from reading and best instructional practices to public relations
and school management. Comments from participants affirmed
that the conference was directly related to the needs of high
school principals. One Chicago principal remarked, "We
told them what we needed and they gave it to us. This program
was exactly right for high school principals." A colleague
from Wyoming added, "This is my first year, so I didn’t
really know what to expect…but it was a real home run.
You can be sure I’ll be in San Antonio for next year’s
Institute."
The 2004 Summer Leadership Institute
will be in San Antonio, Texas, July 10-13. Jim Garvin, the
Partnership’s Conference Director, told principals it
will be better than ever, and will incorporate the suggestions
and feedback that comes from this year’s meeting. "We’ve
already secured some of the best speakers and consultants
in the nation," he said. "It’s going to be
bigger and better, but we are going to be very careful to
maintain the personal touch that has become the hallmark of
the Institute."
Past News Items:
Summer
Leadership Institute in Portland, Oregon, July 14-17, 2003
Chicago
Principals Focus on Instruction- 10/02
Summer
Institute 2002- 7/02
Educational
Leaders to Speak at First Summer Institute-
4/02
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