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Marketing Yourself

The LEAD Center is offering a brand new professional development program aimed at helping school leaders better position themselves to seek and obtain educational leadership positions.

Titled, "Marketing Yourself," the program emphasizes planning, developing, implementing, and measuring a personal marketing plan. Workshop facilitators will be Dr. Kent Hjelmstad, superintendent at Mandan and Dr. Larry Klundt, NDCEL Executive Director. The one-day event will be offered at three different sites across the state in February and March, 2000.

If you’re thinking about changing jobs or becoming more secure in the one you hold, you’ll want take part in "Marketing Yourself."

A New Paradigm in Educational Leadership Preparation

Most would agree that success in any field of endeavor depends on the right combination of knowledge (what to do), skills (how to do), and attitudes (want to do). When it came to preparing school leaders, universities and practitioners often disagreed about what should be the right blend—universities often emphasized knowledge acquisition while practitioners thought there should be more skill development. Fortunately, all across the country, including North Dakota, professors and practitioners are finding common ground and moving toward more balance between theory and practice.

In the new paradigm, practical field experiences and demonstrations of both knowledge and skills are integral to most university courses. Instead of writing papers about what they might do when they are principals, graduate students are finding ways to acquire on-the-job experiences in order to apply knowledge and practice skills. In addition, traditional assessment measures, such as pencil and paper exams, often are replaced with portfolio presentations and live demonstrations.

Recently, Tri-College University and LEAD experimented with a new approach to the comprehensive exams traditionally used at the culmination of an educational leadership preparation program. Instead of writing about what they might do as a principal, students were engaged in a series of simulations that caused them to apply knowledge and actually demonstrate skills. Behavior was observed by a team of specially trained practitioners who rated the level of skill demonstrated according to specified standards. After the simulations, the observers gave the students specific feedback about what they had done well, why any skill was rated below the standard, and how they might improve their skills.

Commenting on the experience, one student said, "I’ve never learned so much taking an exam." Another said, "The most important part was learning what I could do to improve my weaknesses. To have just identified them would not have been as useful as knowing why and all the ideas and recommendations I received. I believe everyone in the program should have to go through the assessment center before they graduate." Whether that will become a reality is not yet certain; however, based on the responses of those involved, a new paradigm could be emerging for the way educational leaders are both prepared and assessed.

Time Management Course Gets New Name

Hundreds of educators from across the state have benefited from LEAD’s Time Management course and Franklin Planners have become standard equipment for most school administrators and many teachers. A merger between Franklin Quest, the time management company, and the Covey Leadership Center, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People company, led to a redesign of the time management course. The new course, titled, "What Matters Most," blends the best from Franklin Time Management and Covey First Things First. Although the materials have a new look, the principles of proactivity, planning, and prioritizing around what’s most important remain the same.

The LEAD Center will offer What Matters Most in March, 2000. A discounted registration fee is offered for those who already have or use a Franklin Planner and want to refresh their training.