Three cohorts of students—from Fergus Falls, Staples, and the Twin Cities, respectively—recently graduated from the Minnesota Principals Academy. Participants, who are principals and administrators at schools across the state, presented their Action Learning Projects at mini-conferences held in Fergus Falls on June 12 and in Burton Hall on June 21.

New cohorts (one in the Twin Cities and one based in Marshall, Minnesota) will begin in August and continue through June, 2021.

The Academy, directed by Katie Pekel, OLPD, also recently received a legislative appropriation of $200,000 per year for 2020 and 2021 during a special session of the Minnesota State Legislature.

The Minnesota Principals Academy was created in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association, the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, and the University of Minnesota. The Academy partners with the National Institute of School Leadership, utilizing their robust and research proven curriculum in addition to units created at the U of M.  Participant registration fees are supported through funding from the Minnesota Legislature and participant districts. The Academy has been based in OLPD since 2013.

To learn more about the Academy, see “The Power of Principals,” from CEHD Connect magazine, spring 2019.