The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce the launch of Maine’s Leadership Development Program (Maine LDP), an initiative designed to build and strengthen instructional leadership skills among Maine’s educational leaders at the school, district, and state levels. In our ongoing efforts to support and foster the educational expertise in Maine, educators who aspire to do the same are invited to take advantage of this high impact opportunity!
The launch phase will focus on building a strong foundation for making the program widely accessible. The Maine DOE has partnered with the National Institute for School Leaders (NISL) to prepare the first cohort of candidates to become certified trainers and facilitators of future cohorts, providing a unique and rewarding leadership opportunity. The Maine DOE’s ESEA Federal Programs, School Turnaround, and Higher Education and Educator Support Services teams are collaborating to provide the executive leadership training to instructional leaders across Maine. Maine’s LDP brings together the Maine DOE’s successful Transformational Leaders’ Network with NISL’s nationally recognized Executive Development Program (EDP).
Maine’s LDP is delivered through a blended learning model and includes study, inquiry, and hands-on activities with practical applications that meet the rigorous expectations for today’s educational leaders. In the first cohort, NISL experts will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum and provide additional training for Maine LDP facilitators. Successful graduates from the initial cohort will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum to future cohorts regionally. Completion of the program can contribute to credit hours for participants pursuing an advanced degree or contact hours for re-certification purposes.
Benefits for Maine Schools
- Prepares educational leaders to lead for excellence and equity
- Increases student achievement, fosters a culture of high expectations
- Enhances teacher recruitment, retention, and quality
Program Curriculum
- Nationally researched, evidenced-based, and locally delivered in a cohort model
- Improves the practice of leadership, transforms instruction and student achievement in schools
- Consists of 12 two-day units, delivered in 12 to 15 months
- Bridged with online coursework, readings and job-embedded application of key concepts
Characteristics of Ideal Candidates
- A belief in and commitment to improving instruction and increasing student achievement
- Experience (five years) in a leadership role at the school, district, and/or state level and background as a classroom teacher. Ideal candidates include, but are not limited to, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, deans, Title I directors, department leaders, ESEA coordinators, special education directors, English Learner directors, assistant superintendents, instruction and curriculum directors, and superintendents.
- Excellent communications skills; able to effectively facilitate professional development for peers
- Demonstrated skills in mentoring and coaching
- Experience as a successful practitioner—able to translate concepts to actions, theory to practice, and programs to craft
- Able to participate in the entire NISL program and become certified as a Maine LDP facilitator
- Likely to live and work in Maine for the next five years
The Department encourages experienced educational leaders to consider applying to join the initial cohort of candidates to become certified Maine LDP facilitators of future cohorts. Please visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/educators/maineldp for more information and email nisledp.doe@maine.gov with any questions. The schedule and application can be found here.