Superintendent of Schools Duncan Klussman

Spring Branch ISD Superintendent of Schools Duncan Klussman was named volunteer chair as the Raise Your Hand Texas coalition announced Tuesday that the organization will pay up to $750,000 so that 100 school principals from across the state might attend one of four leadership seminars this summer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, located in Cambridge, Mass.  

“The Harvard Summer Institutes are widely recognized as the gold-standard of academic training,” Dr. Klussmann said during an Austin press conference held March 25. “The leadership skills of our principals are imperative to the performance of our students and the success of our schools.  If a school is doing well, has a reputation of excellent teaching, is engaging and motivating its students, the successful leadership of its principal is always a key component.”

Over the past two years, SBISD has worked with the Spring Branch Education Foundation and Washington Mutual to help send seven of its own principals to The Principal’s Center at Harvard’s graduate education school.

Recognizing that quality campus leadership is key to the success of all public schools, Raise Your Hand Texas leaders said that the organization would help 100 Texas principals, representing a diverse cross-section of school district demographics, to travel to Boston and attend one of four leadership seminars this summer.

Raise Your Hand Texas was founded last year as a bi-partisan effort by influential business and civic leaders. Its advisory board includes Jim Adams, former chairman of Texas Instruments; Michael Boone, co-founder and partner, Haynes & Boone; Charles Butt, H-E-B chairman and CEO; T.C. Frost, senior chairman of Frost National Bank; Larry Kellner, Continental Airlines Inc.’s chairman of the board & CEO; and Bobby Tudor, former managing director of Goldman, Sachs and Co.

“This is an exciting, historic opportunity for public school principals and public charter school administrators from across the state of Texas,” said Bill Ratliff, former Lt. Governor of Texas and Raise Your Hand Texas chairman. “By investing in the leadership of our schools, we will realize the positive impact of the Harvard training in day-to-day school management, in campus morale, and, most importantly, in the classroom.”

One of the largest initiatives of its kind in the state, the Raise Your Hand Texas Leadership Program will send principals to the Summer Institutes at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  The Institutes will expose Texas public school leaders to the foremost national and international experts in the fields of education and leadership, as well as offer them a hands-on opportunity to work alongside renowned educators from across the country.

Founded in 1981, The Principals' Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is dedicated to the support, development, and improvement of school principals. 

Raise Your Hand Texas will cover the full cost of the Institute, hotel, airfare, and provide funds for incidentals, estimated to cost about $750,000. During the Institutes, the principals will be asked to blog about their professional experiences, views and news for hometown colleagues, community and family.  Chosen principals will then convene at a statewide conference later this fall to share their experiences and plan their professional and leadership growth for the future.

Institute offerings include Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership; Leadership: An Evolving Vision; National Institute for Urban School Leaders; and Redesigning High Schools for Improved Instruction. Application is open to public and public charter school principals. Selections will be announced in May.

“Our goal, in order to make the maximum impact, is to achieve a dynamic and diverse selection mix including such factors as geographic representation from urban and rural areas, racial and gender diversity, and school district size,” Ratliff said. Former Austin Mayor and Austin ISD Board President Roy Butler also spoke at the special announcement.

Since it formed a year ago, Raise Your Hand Texas has made important steps in advocating for priority education issues, including the accountability system, campus safety, enhanced teaching skills, and improved quality and access to prekindergarten. 

The Raise Your Hand Texas Leadership Program is the coalition’s first initiative directly serving the campus level.

In Spring Branch last year, Principals Randolph Adami of Northbrook High, Gary Henry of Valley Oaks Elementary and Laura Schuhmann of Northbrook Middle School attended nine-day programs at The Principal’s Center.

This summer, four more SBISD principals are scheduled to study there. Those principals are Steve Shorter of Memorial High, Shawn Bird of Spring Forest Middle, Luis Pratts of Landrum Middle and Frederick Larry of Nottingham Elementary.  

Raise Your Hand Texas is a grassroots, bipartisan group of business and community leaders, parents, and taxpayers dedicated to celebrating and improving public schools in Texas.  The organization promotes high standards, rigor in the classroom, and accountability to the public, while making commonsense suggestions and seeking additional resources that will improve the education of our students.  For more information, visit www.raiseyourhandtexas.org.

The Principals' Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is dedicated to the personal and professional development of school principals, assistant principals, headmasters, and other school leaders who influence the character and quality of a school.  For more information, visit www.gse.harvard.edu/principals