Description
The purpose of the Assistant Principal Cohort Two is to continue the development and preparation of the second-year assistant principals and deans in their role as campus leaders. The program is based on the Educational Leadership Policy Standards, the Texas Standards for Principal Certification, and HISD's School Leadership Framework of 21 leadership responsibilities and 66 associated practices. The AP2 year is the third step in the district’s “grow your own” leadership development process for emerging school leaders. Regularly scheduled Socratic-style leadership development seminars are designed to further develop the foundations of educational theory and managerial skill development initiated in the first year of the assistant principal role to prepare school leaders to meet the job requirements of a school principal. The principal is the primary developer of the second-year assistant principal, and along with the school support officer make up a Leadership Development Team (LDT) that meets throughout the year to support and refine the skills of the assistant principal. Additionally, a mentor provides on-going support and guidance towards increasing the skills as a reflective practitioner. An adaptive challenge project that measures the assistant principals’ increased impact on student achievement is embedded in the daily work of the aspiring leader. Evidence of the year-long practicum is captured in reflective summaries that are shared with the Leadership Development Team and the mentor.

Timeframe
AP2 is a one-year program. The inaugural cohort of AP2 started in August .

Purpose
The program is designed to develop Houston ISD educators to become highly effective elementary school principals and to fulfill HISD’s Strategic Direction, core initiative #2: An Effective Principal in Every School.

Eligibility requirements
To qualify, candidates must have successfully completed the first year as an assistant principal or dean of instruction.