September 30, 2013
TO:
Superintendents
FROM:
Rebecca Garland
Chief Academic Officer
Lynne Johnson
Director, Educator Effectiveness
LAUNCH OF READY PRINCIPALS INITIATIVE
Over the past five years, the Department of Public Instruction has partnered with school districts
and professional organizations to train principals on the new NC Teacher Evaluation Process. In
the last three years, much of the training has focused on how to navigate the online platform and
the process. In Race to the Top, North Carolina pledged to continue this support for principals
while also turning to deeper and more specific professional development around the meaning of
the NC Professional Teaching Standards and the NC Teacher Evaluation Rubric.
With the support of a grant from the national Cross-State Learning Collaborative, the
Department of Public Instruction is excited to launch a new READY Principals initiative that
will specifically develop the skills of school administrators in using the NC Teacher Evaluation
Process to provide specific and constructive feedback to teachers. This initiative will include
two rounds of regional meetings for principals; the first will take place this fall (OctoberNovember), and the second will be held in the spring.
While these meetings and supporting resources are part of the State’s READY work, the
meetings will represent an opportunity for principals to work in groups and dive into new
resources available to support their understanding of the NC Teacher Evaluation Process and NC
Teacher Evaluation Rubric. The structure of the meetings will be more interactive than the
READY meetings held over the past two years.
The stakes attached to results from the NC Teacher Evaluation Process are increasing as teacher
contracts become dependent on results on the standards and teachers move toward an overall
educator effectiveness status. In this time of significant importance for the ratings, it is critical
that principals develop their understanding of the NC Professional Teaching Standards and the
NC Teacher Evaluation Rubric. The READY Principals initiative will provide resources and
training to grow this understanding.
Given the importance of this work, we ask you to emphasize attendance at the in-person
meetings with your school administrators. We will also invite your district Human Resources
Director, and ask you to ensure that he or she is in attendance as well. The schedule of READY
Principals meetings for October and November is attached, and the Department of Public
Instruction will send a registration email to principals and Human Resources Directors next
week. We appreciate your support of this initiative to strengthen principal capacity.
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Simmons, the North Carolina Educator Evaluation
System Consultant, at Kimberly.Simmons@dpi.nc.gov.
ACADEMIC SERVICES AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
Rebecca Garland, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer | rebecca.garland@dpi.nc.gov
6368 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-6368 | (919) 807-3200 | Fax (919) 807-3388
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
READY Principals
An initiative of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
The READY Principals initiative will specifically develop the skills of school administrators in
using the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process to provide specific and constructive
feedback to teachers. Principals across the State will come together in two rounds of regional
meetings to work in groups and dive into new resources available to support their understanding
of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process and North Carolina Teacher Evaluation
Rubric.
The first round of READY Principals meetings is in October and November. Each meeting will
be held from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. We invite principals and human resource directors to join us
for these meetings. Registration information will be forthcoming. Lunch will be served.
Region
Region One
Date
Wednesday, October 30
Region Two
Thursday, October 31
Region Three
Monday, November 18
Region Four
Wednesday, October 16
Region Five
Tuesday, October 15
Region Six
Wednesday, November 20
Region Seven
Friday, November 15
Region Eight
Thursday, November 14
Location
Bob Martin Center
NC Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services
2900 NC Highway 125 South
Williamston, NC
Hilton Riverside
301 North Water Street
Wilmington, NC
Sheraton Imperial Hotel
4700 Emperor Boulevard
Durham, NC
Crown Center
1960 Coliseum Drive
Fayetteville, NC
Sheraton Four Seasons
3121 High Point Road
Greensboro, NC
Speedway Club
5555 Concord Parkway South
Concord, NC
Stone Center
Wikes County Schools
603 Cherry Street
North Wilkesboro, NC
Crowne Plaza Tennis and Golf Report
One Resort Drive
Asheville, NC