Mentoring is a critical lever for supporting and developing our new Senior/Team Leads (S/TL). Grounded in relationships and built on personal and professional trust, mentoring is an asset-based service to support, develop and retain the most valuable asset in our organization -- our people. If you are interested in mentoring new Senior/Team Leads and have more than three years of experience as an S/TL, consider applying to be a mentor for the 2023-24 school year using this form. The priority deadline for mentor applications is Friday, May 5.

Registration for April Teal Day is open now through April 2. View all session offerings in the April Teal Day session guide. Advance registration is required so please advise your staff accordingly. Contact professional_learning@dpsk12.org if you have questions.

The Summer 2023 Professional Learning guide for teachers and SSPs is now available. See what professional learning is required and available for you. Registration and location information will be added by April 28. Email professional_learning@dpsk12.org if you have questions.

The Professional Learning team will be offering a Professional Development Unit (PDU) Design course this spring for those interested in designing and leading a Professional Development Unit. The course begins Monday, March 20 and is open to current and aspiring PDU leaders. This 15-hour course supports leaders in preparing a PDU application, including developing an action research plan and syllabus. Earn one grade change credit upon course completion. Learn more information and register.

The Summer 2023 Professional Learning guide for teachers and SSPs is now available. See what professional learning is required and available for your staff. Registration and location information will be added by April 28. Email professional_learning@dpsk12.org if you have questions.

Registration opens for February Teal Day sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Please review the sessions available in the February Teal Day session guide, and ensure your school staff registers by Feb. 20. Registration will close at midnight on Feb. 20, and there will be no access to sessions without registration.

The Culture, Learning and Development team (CLD) is excited to re-launch our DPSTeams program. DPSTeams is a three-day, two-night values-based leadership experience designed for intact school leadership and central office teams of five-12 people. DPSTeams supports strengthening team dynamics by providing the time, space and skill-building to develop high-performing cultures focused on relationships, accountability, managing conflict and communicating effectively. We have a limited number of slots available for this year’s sessions on Feb. 15-17 and March 15-17. For more information or to request a spot for your team, please visit the CLD page on The Commons or email DPSTeams@dpsk12.org.

Do you know someone interested in becoming a Senior Team Lead or Team Lead (S/TL) in the 2023-24 school year? Encourage them apply to the S/TL Pool. This visible pool of interested candidates is used by principals across the district as they search for strong fits for their S/TL openings. Visit the Aspiring Senior/Team Leads page on The Commons to learn more. Questions? Contact Ellen Bernhardt.

Learn to Lead grows future principals who lead for positive change in our schools and communities. The program emphasizes leadership strategies and dispositions individuals need to be effective principals. The program includes seminars, on-the-job shadowing and practice, job-embedded projects and individualized coaching. The target audience for the residency is leaders who are within four months to one year of being ready for a principal role. The priority deadline for Learn to Lead applications is Jan. 31. The selection process for the 2023-24 cohort includes two components:

1. Complete and submit a 2023-24 Learn to Lead Application, including your leadership statement and most recent LEAD evaluation and CollaboRATE feedback.
2. Apply and interview for the DPS Principal Pool (Job ID #58703).

If you have questions, contact Angelina Walker.

Our next Teal Day takes place Tuesday, Jan. 3 with sessions occurring online and in person. Registration is open now through the session guide. Email professional_learning@dpsk12.org if you have any questions.

If you’d like to lead a spring semester PDU, the final PDU application deadline is Jan. 9. Incentives for PDU leaders have increased this year to $2,000 for new PDU designs, and $1,500 for facilitating a repeat or turn-key PDU. See available turn-key PDUs in the PDU Resource Library. To submit a new PDU, refer to the PDU Proposal Template and PDU application instructions. Additional information on PDUs can be found on The Commons. If you have questions, contact Carmen Stagg.

Leaders received an email on Dec. 1 from our Chief of Schools, Cesar Cedillo, to support your planning efforts around the first stage of strategic planning for the 2023-24 school year: developing your 23-24 ILT & TLC Models. As you build your ILT and TLC models, I want to give you a preview of what to expect as we wrap up the 2022 calendar year, and share with you critical information to support alignment to our 2023-24 priorities.

The 2023-24 ILT & TLC Planning Window opens today, Nov. 29, with draft ILT and TLC models due on Dec. 16, and final models due Jan. 11. This is your opportunity to fine-tune or completely re-envision your leadership structures and roles to bring your Major Improvement Strategies to life and meet the goals outlined in your UIPOne. In response to last year’s overwhelming positive feedback, you’ll again have the opportunity to come together with peer principals during a “Together, We’re Better” session to learn from each other’s challenges and most impactful ILT practices, and to hear how others are designing ILT and TLC roles and structures. Complete this optional two-minute survey to share when and how you prefer to come together with leaders to learn from and support each other.

The Teacher Advisory Council and Teacher Leader Advisory Council are launching next week for the 2022-23 school year! These councils meet regularly with senior leaders -- including Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith -- as well as central support staff to share feedback, ideas and input on decisions and planning that affect students, teachers and teacher leaders. Access this year's council commitments and meeting dates. Interested candidates may apply for the Teacher Advisory Council or the Teacher Leader Advisory Council by Oct. 11.

Additional Professional Development Units (PDU) are being added now through Sept. 30! Registration links and course information can be found in the PDU Course Guide. If you are interested in leading a PDU, the next leader application deadline is Oct. 12. Visit the PDU webpage for more information or email Carmen Stagg.

Our August Teal Day was packed with central professional learning, with over 3,000 educators throughout DPS attending sessions online and in-person! As previously shared, to balance this full day in August, September's non-contact day on Sept. 30 will be devoted to school-based learning and planning. A preview of the sessions for October Teal Day is now available. Registration links will be added to this page by Sept. 30. If you have questions, please reach out to the Professional Learning Team.

The Leadership Pathways and Development team is now accepting applications for the 2022-23 Aspiring Teacher Leader of Color Cohort (ATLOCC) and Thrive Fellowship (Thrive). We designed the ATLOCC experience to support teachers of color interested in acquiring a Senior/Team Lead role. Thrive is designed to incentivize retention of our BIPOC leaders by providing support and continued development to our BIPOC Senior/Team Leads in year one or two. Both cohorts are an excellent opportunity for schools to strengthen their internal talent pipeline and bench for Senior/Team Leads at their school. Learn more about ATLOCC and Thrive or contact Joshua Trinidad.

Professional Development Unit applications for the 2022-23 school year are being accepted now, with increased incentives for PDU design. Submit your application by Sept. 1 for approval by Sept. 30. The second application deadline is Oct. 12. Please reference the PDU Proposal Template and PDU Application Instructions on how to submit an application. Additional information on PDUs can be found on the Professional Learning page on The Commons. Direct questions to Carmen Stagg.

Principals and assistant principals of color are invited to attend the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Summit or the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) Summit. ALAS will be held Oct. 5-7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and NABSE will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in National Harbor, Maryland. Please consider applying for a scholarship of up to $2,000 to cover travel and registration for the 2022 conferences. Learn more details and the summit application. If you have questions, email lpd@dpsk12.net.

As we begin the 2022-23 school year, we ask that school leaders ensure that they have access to all the systems that enable them to perform key aspects of their work. The School Leader Systems Access Guide provides a comprehensive list of DPS systems that school leaders (new to DPS or transferring from another DPS school) may need access to, and includes the process to request access, who to contact if you have questions and applicable training information.

Welcome new school leaders! As we kick off July School Leadership Week, please join us in welcoming all assistant principals and principals, deans, senior/team leads, and regional/team specialists who are new to their school, role and/or DPS! We are excited to see their impact on creating classrooms that are vibrant centers of learning, where caring teachers are engaging their students in rigorous, culturally responsive experiences so that all children excel.