FIU helps M-DCPS principals look within to become better leaders

In their quest to keep their schools on a path to success, 30 Miami-Dade County Public Schools principals have been asked to pause and look within themselves.  They are being presented with the idea that in order to lead others effectively, they must first build a strong understanding of themselves.

Representing elementary, middle, and high schools across the country, the principals are participating in Florida International University’s Center for Leadership’s inaugural Principals Leadership Development Program (PLDP), an intense year-long training that started last summer and included assessments, team-building activities, and best-practices leadership seminars. It also included courses in self-reflection, strategic planning, conflict resolution, communication, and health and nutrition.

The final class for this group of principals takes place on April 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at FIU’s College of Business Administration, CBC 154, on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, 11200 SW 8 Street in Southwest Miami-Dade County.

“These principals were selected to participate in this program because they’re committed, they are smart and have made significant strides at their individual schools,” said FIU President Emeritus Modesto A. Maidique, who now serves as executive director of the Center for Leadership. “Our goal during this year has been to show them how they can maximize their own potential and that of others by understanding themselves and capitalizing on proven business strategies.”

Designed by Maidique and the team at the Center for Leadership, the program uses industry best practices and is based on groundbreaking research by FIU, other leading businesses and schools, and management centers around the world. The program was developed with the support of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“The program has been a huge success for me,” said Manuel S. Garcia, principal of G. Holmes Braddock High School. “The introspective view of yourself, your values, your morals, what makes you who you are translated brilliantly into the development of a managerial style. You should take care of your body and your mind before you can move forward with your big plan for your school.”

In addition to the group sessions, principals also had an opportunity to meet one-on-one with an executive coach to discuss some of the challenges they face in their individual organizations and develop action plans for applying the tools learned during the program back at their schools.

“The whole experience has been rejuvenating,” said Sally J. Alayon, principal of the newly opened Alonzo and Tracy Mourning High School. “We get bogged down with things that we think are important but are not. I immediately started thinking, ‘Where am I with this school? What can I revamp?’ For me, the expectations are high, from the district and from the community.”

Unlike many of her colleagues in the program, Alayon had to build an entire staff for her new school. After her week of training at FIU last spring, she said she returned to her school asking different questions to her prospective teachers.

All principals in M-DCPS are required to take development courses each summer. For these principals, FIU’s leadership program satisfied that requirement. Officials from the school system will send a second group of 30 principals this summer to participate in the program. 

“There is no question that the principals of our public school system possess excellent leadership skills,” said Maidique. “This program empowers them to transform themselves, their schools and, eventually, the Miami-Dade Public School System into models for the rest of the nation.”

Media Contact: Jean-Paul Renaud at 305-348-2716.