Mentorship for New and Aspiring Principals
Mentorship for New and Aspiring Principals: A CES Program
SY 2026-27
The principalship is a demanding and influential leadership role, one shaping the trajectory of an entire school community. Principals are expected to lead instructional improvement, build culture, navigate complex systems, and respond to competing demands, often with limited, job-embedded support. A thoughtfully designed mentorship and induction program is not a luxury—it is an essential investment in leadership effectiveness, retention, and student success.
CES brings principals together in a focused, high-impact learning experience led by experienced principals, providing a leadership framework, practical tools, real-world problem solving, and a trusted network of peers who understand the work. Participants leave inspired and equipped—with the clarity, confidence, and strategies needed to move from managing the role to truly leading their schools forward.
Guided by experienced facilitators Albert Johnson-Mussad, Gwen Agna, and Mark Jackson, this school-year long experience weaves together community building, professional development, general support, and leadership-focused activities that unfold across the year. Each element is designed to reflect the real work of school leadership while providing space to reflect, problem-solve, and grow alongside peers.
Support, retain, and grow your principals
—because strong, consistent leadership is your district’s greatest lever.
Program Elements
Community Building
- Samples/exemplars of recurring communication tasks [e.g., back to school letters]
- Drafting/editing support of ad hoc communications [e.g., crisis response, challenging personnel issues, budgetary challenges]
- Public speaking coaching
Professional Development
- Community of Practice [@ CES]
- Monthly cohort meetings
- Effective leadership for school improvement: planning and execution
- Biweekly, hour-long school-site meetings with individual mentors
- Debrief the day/week; coach, troubleshoot and/or plan as needed; principal-driven agendas
- A guaranteed seat at two of CES’s PD offerings: the Annual Legal Issues Seminar and the Annual IEP Summit
General Support
- Research list of resources on pressing topics
- Meeting Support
- Agenda design [e.g., faculty meetings, leadership team meetings, parent/guardian meetings, para-professional meetings etc.]
- Facilitation coaching
- Meeting feedback
- Developing emergency procedures
Instructional Leadership
- Summer Leadership Retreat (2 days)
- Planning to start a new school year
- Aligning standing school routines and structures [e.g., faculty, leadership team and PD meetings] for organizational effectiveness and instructional improvement
- Developing a collaborative adult professional culture
- Strategic Planning & Collaborative Problem Solving
- Inclusive processes for SIP development and implementation
- SIP models/exemplars to drive instructional improvement
- Establishing SIPs as actual drivers of school improvement wor
- Building-Based Problem of Practice Support (up to 24 hours)
- Structured facilitation to identify, refine, and address high-leverage challenges
- Data-informed analysis to uncover root causes and target meaningful change
- Research-based strategies and exemplars aligned to instructional improvement goals
- Guided implementation planning with clear action steps, progress monitoring, and leadership support to ensure impact
Explore Membership Today!
If you are interested in the CES New and Aspiring Principal Mentorship Program for SY2026-27, please reach out to Angela Burke, Director of Professional Services, at aburke@collaborative.org, or complete the inquiry form at the right.
There’s a seat at our table whether you are newly stepping into principalship, currently serving as a vice principal, or considering a future in school leadership. The issues and questions related to effective leadership are complex. Getting a head start on sorting it all out will be an advantage.
Fee: $5,000 annually to support, retain, and grow your principals—because strong, consistent leadership is your district’s greatest lever.