Lead Fairfax

The Learning, Empowering, Assessing, and Developing (LEAD) Fairfax program in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) promotes systemic reform of leadership to significantly improve learning for all students. Key components in this process are attracting, developing, and supporting leaders who (a) have the ability to influence the action of others; (b) are knowledgeable about research-based practices in curriculum, instruction and assessment; and (c) are capable of managing people and resources effectively.

Not only does the FCPS district face the challenge of the magnitude of need (70% of current leadership will need to be replaced in the next five years), but also faces the challenge of changing demographics (becoming increasingly culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse). The growing diversity raises the need to attract and develop a pool of education leaders who possess the knowledge, skills, and expectations to lead within a diverse setting.

The critical attributes of the LEAD Fairfax program are:

·Placement of administrative interns in selected schools based on leader mentors and student population

·Focused individual development plans

·Learning cohorts of principals, assistant principals, interns, teacher leaders and support personnel

·Site-based professional development embedded in daily practice

·Instructional Leadership Institute

·Broad based partnerships and resources

·Distance learning opportunity

As a result of the implementation of the LEAD Fairfax program, it is expected that a process will be developed to identify, attract, and develop diverse pools of aspiring, emerging and experienced education leaders, and that an enhanced administrative performance evaluation process will reveal evidence of professional growth. With an emphasis on instructional leadership, it is anticipated that the management information systems will be tooled to collect, retrieve, sort, disaggregate, and report data. Building the capacity for data-driven decision making at all levels of school leadership supported by effective coaching and mentoring will ensure the succession of education leaders able to impact learning and achievement for all students.

A broad base of partners and resources has been assembled to support the development and succession of effective school leaders through LEAD Fairfax. They include:

The Gallup Organization

Center for Creative Leadership

Institute for Educational Leadership

Global Learning Associates

Linkage Incorporated

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

For more information, visit the Fairfax County Lead Fairfax Website