The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and N2 Learning (N2) are facing the future of public education together. And, we are facing forward. The TASA/N2 partnership is one that recognizes the need for high quality professional learning that is timely, customized, and creates strategic career pathways at all administrative levels. The backbone for the TASA/N2 partnership is Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas (the Visioning Document) and the motivation of the partnership is to develop administrators who lead schools that prepare students for careers, post-secondary education and a life of learning.
The TASA/N2 partnership includes these initiatives:
- The Assistant Principal Leadership Academy (APL)
- The Principals’ Institute (PI)
- The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI)
- The Principals’ Institute 2.0 (PI 2.0)
The Assistant Principal Leadership Academy (APL) is designed to inspire assistant principals to identify as instructional leaders and begin building professional learning networks. Hosted regionally by districts around the state, APL is a first step in the work of N2 and TASA to build a strategic career pathway for like-minded administrators. With almost all Texas superintendents starting their administrative careers as assistant principals, we have a great opportunity to develop leaders who re-envision their roles through the lens of the Visioning Document.
The Principals’ Institute (PI) will be in its 10th year for the 2020-21 school year. It is an amazing opportunity for principals of all levels to learn, to be inspired and to dig deep into their role as instructional leaders. The work of PI is closely aligned to the Visioning Document and requires principals to analyze their schools’ needs, work closely with other principals and hear from experts from across the country. Through this work, principals then develop a Transformation Target that addresses their schools’ most pressing academic and/or organizational health issues.
The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) is designed for central administrators to lead their districts in the work of transformation. Like APL and PI, ELI develops in leaders the capacity to address the learning and social-emotional needs of students, teachers, and staff in a tangible way. Central administrators should be leading and influencing transformation and empowering students, teachers, and principals in that journey.
The Principals’ Institute 2.0 (PI 2.0) is for principals who have been through PI and want to continue their leadership journey by going deeper into the work of organizational transformation. PI 2.0 focuses on three things: 1) strengthening professional learning networks, 2) executive coaching, and 3) working alongside others who have devoted many years to serving as principals.
TASA and N2 are stronger, as a team, working together to develop leaders with a deep understanding of organizational transformation and learning culture.
Dr. Eddie Coulson has more than 30 years of experience in education. He served as superintendent, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and executive director for human resources in College Station ISD (CSISD) and personnel director, campus administrator, and teacher in Spring ISD. During his tenure as superintendent in CSISD, Eddie was named Region VI Superintendent of the Year and was one of five finalists for the State of Texas Superintendent of the Year award. Coulson has served on a variety of committees for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and his genuine passion to support and transform education for the betterment of all students makes him a well-respected leader and advisor to administrators and teachers alike.
