Principals Begin Training
Klein Greets New School Leaders

By HOWARD MEGDAL

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein was on hand last week to welcome 67 members of the Aspiring Principals Program within the Leadership Academy at Information Technology High School in Queens.

JOEL I. KLEIN: More latitude, more accountability.

The Leadership Academy was established in 2003 to develop more and bettertrained Principals for city schools. These enrollees, the APP's fourth class, will attempt to complete a 14-month program which includes two summer sessions, followed by a year-long residency in a city school under a mentoring Principal.

Mr. Klein, who has cited the program as a vital part of the Bloomberg Administration's Children First reforms, told the incoming class July 10, "We are working to give Principals greater discretion and authority to run their schools and, in turn, hold them accountable for their decisions and their ability to make real and measurable progress in student achievement. I look forward to the contributions this class will make in the future to the educational success of New York City's public school students."

All Teaching Vets

Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Jill S. Levy welcomed the new members to her union, which represents Principals, Assistant Principals and other administrators.

In a July 11 statement, she said, "As always, CSA is here to protect the rights and support the needs of our school leaders, and we hope the coming school year will be challenging and rewarding for both our members and students alike."

All participants in the program have at least three years of teaching experience, and DOE said that the average teaching career among this year's class is eight years. Members were selected from an applicant pool of more than 1,600.

Seventy percent of those in the new class are African-American, Latino or Asian. Fifty-seven percent are women, while 60 of the 67 come from within the city school system. The average age of the new class is 38, with a range from 26 to 53.