Dr. Penny Crooks, principal of Asheboro High School, recently completed the Distinguished Leadership Program (DLP), ayear-long leadership development program for practicing school principals designed and provided by the North CarolinaPrincipals and Assistant Principal’s Association and sponsored by the American Express Foundation through the NorthCarolina Alliance for School Leadership Development (NCASLD.) 

 

The Distinguished Leadership in Practice Program (DLP) uses a non-traditional professional development model that isaligned to the performance evaluation standards adopted by the State Board of Education for North Carolina’s schoolleaders. This unique cohort-based program is designed to limit principals’ time away from their schools by allowing themto attend face-to-face sessions once every other month while accessing on-line assignments, materials and coaching inbetween face-to-face sessions. Principals engage in a series of authentic activities throughout the year-long experiencethat are designed to build the capacity of their schools and their own capacity as “Distinguished” school leaders.“The leadership of the school principal is by far one of the most important factors in school quality. By completing thisvery rigorous program, our DLP graduates have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement by workingto improve their leadership skills as they simultaneously improve their schools. We are proud to include them in the ranksof successful DLP completers,” said Dr. Shirley Prince, NCPAPA Executive Director. 

 

This program is offered in Chapel Hill and serves principals in all eight regions of the state. The North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association (NCPAPA), in existence since 1976, is the preeminentorganization and state voice for principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders. NCPAPA represents 5,000+members from across the state and serves as the state’s principal affiliate of the N.C. Association of School Administrators(NCASA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of SecondarySchool Principals (NASSP.)