Five campuses—one from each Round Rock ISD learning community—have been selected to participate in a two-year program designed for principals and their teams focusing on three main leadership objectives: teacher development; individual growth plans; and campus transformation plans.
Leadership teams from Herrington, Voigt, Anderson Mill, Joe Lee Johnson and Cactus Ranch elementary schools will participate in deep, meaningful professional development and benefit from extensive support to identify and foster teacher leadership, design essential growth and development opportunities, and cultivate a continuous improvement mindset and culture of collaboration, innovation and problem solving.
Round Rock ISD was selected in 2017 as one of seven public school districts across Texas to be included in the inaugural Premier Leadership Program at The Holdsworth Center. The Holdsworth Center, founded by H-E-B Chairman and CEO Charles Butt, aims to support and develop public school leaders in order to improve, over time, the quality of education offered to every child in every classroom in Texas.
The seven districts were selected based on their demonstration of an existing commitment to human capital and talent development and alignment of vision among the superintendent, key leadership team members and the board of trustees.
The first Round Rock ISD participants in the five-year program have been Superintendent of Schools Steve Flores, Ph.D., and key members of District leadership who have been developing and honing the vision and skills necessary to design and lead strategic leadership development systems and deliver a transformational personal leadership experience. Round Rock ISD and peer districts have had the opportunity over the past year to participate in a unique set of experiences including, exposure to the best leadership experts in the country, facilitated lectures with renowned faculty and group discussion, and the opportunity to explore their personal leadership in a setting that promotes reflection, thought and dialogue.
“This experience has been one of the most profound and transformational of my professional life,” Flores said. “The Holdsworth Center has created an experience for educators like no other and I am beyond excited for our campus leadership to join us on this journey.”
Round Rock ISD, and the other participating districts, will continue to send cohorts of principals over the course of the five-year partnership, with the goal of serving 50-60 percent of principals in that time frame.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a vision for leadership excellence for Round Rock ISD and develop a culture of including all, investing in growth and inspiring action throughout our District,” Mandy Estes, chief of teaching and learning said. “We are so fortunate as Texas educators to have a true champion of public education in Mr. Charles Butt, who is committed to investing in our future in this critically important way.”
