Principals’ Academy prepares school leaders for 2010-11

UDPATE: Check out our video here or above.

Atlanta Public Schools continued its preparation for the 2010-11 school year with its annual Principals’ Academy on Thursday at Frederick Douglass High School. The Principals’ Academy, which ran from the early morning to early afternoon, provides a series of training seminars for all of the new and returning principals from every academic level. The administrators also get a chance to learn more about the supporting departments and potential school vendors in between sessions.

After a welcome from Crystal Lottig — executive director for the Department for Learning Excellence — principals attended the seminar “Response to Intervention” and “Pathways to Systemic Change” before breaking up into separate workshops that covered everything from information technology and IT partnerships to employment law training and iPod training.

APS will feature several new administrators thanks to the final phase of the High School Transformation initiative that will convert Grady, Mays and North Atlanta high schools into small learning communities — with academy leaders overseeing an SLC but still answering to a school principal. The High School Transformation initiative has been credited for a substantial improvement in test scores and graduation rates among APS’ high schools.

Check back in to Talk Up APS for more coverage on the Principals’ Academy.