Twenty-nine principals are being celebrated as the first graduates of the new Nova Scotia Instructional Leadership Academy.

Introduced in September 2010, the Nova Scotia Instructional Leadership Program is a three-year diploma program that provides principals and other instructional leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to improve their instruction and leadership abilities.

“The Nova Scotia Instructional Leadership Program is a rigorous set of courses that were developed specifically for school-based leaders in Nova Scotia,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey. “These graduates attended sessions for three years to complete the program, all to provide the best possible education for their students.”

This program helps students by providing the leaders in their school with best practices and proven methods to achieve a higher level of student achievement and encourages them to work with staff to support those practices in every classroom.

“No other single program has had such a positive impact on my practice as an administrator,” said Janece McNutt, principal,
St. Mary’s Bay Academy in Weymouth, Digby Co., who graduated from the program. “For me it has been the perfect blend of theory, practical application and networking. I strongly encourage other principals to take advantage of this excellent opportunity.”

This one-of-a-kind program was designed through collaboration with principals, school boards, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, Nova Scotia School Boards Association, universities and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to meet the need for more instructional leadership support requested by principals.

It is delivered by the Nova Scotia Educational Leadership Consortium on behalf of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

For more information on the Nova Scotia Instructional Leadership Program visit http://nselc.ednet.ns.ca/.

Source: Release