Rocketship Education Leadership Development Program
At Rocketship, the staff is not only invested and focused upon academic gains and skills for their
students, but is also highly invested in their own professional growth. In fact, at Rocketship, we
believe that it is the mission of the organization to not only realize these academic goals, but to
also help develop additional leaders within the organization that can develop the capabilities to
become future founding or take-over principals or Academic Deans. With this in mind, we have
created a multi-year leadership development program that supports teachers in developing
their craft in the classroom and in preparing for possible school leadership roles in the future.
Rocketship school leadership teams are made up of, first and foremost, the principal.
Principals at Rocketship are responsible for the success of the school and their role is
defined by the following primary responsibilities:
• Attaining API results (closing the achievement gap)
• Instilling Rocketship culture in students, teachers, and parents
• Developing other leaders to support Rocketship’s growth and scale.
Every school also has an Academic Dean, who serves as an instructional leader at the
school with primary responsibilities in the following areas:
• Coaching teachers so that they attain 1.5 years or more of growth with 100% of
their students
• Running a highly effective Response to Intervention (RtI) program
• Managing staff professional development
Together, these two roles make up the leadership team of Rocketship schools. Because
both deans and principals are responsible for the success of the school (and thus
Rocketship’s ability to close the achievement gap) and because we believe that many
deans may eventually take over established schools, we see the qualities and skills
necessary in these roles as very similar. However, the weight or importance of
particular items (such as depth of knowledge of the Response to Intervention program
or ability to establish school culture) varies in the two roles. Furthermore, while we
believe that all principals are responsible for the areas listed above, we also believe
that there are skills and qualities that are slightly different for principals beginning new
schools and those taking over existing schools, so we distinguish between these two
roles and the preparation needed for them later in this document.
Using the above responsibilities and priorities for Rocketship leaders as a guide,
Rocketship engaged its current school and national office leaders and identified the
attitudes, skills, and competencies required to excel in these areas and created a
framework for selecting principals and deans to participate in the Leadership
Development Program. These qualities may be divided into our key characteristics,
which we believe should define all Rocketship employees (for our leaders, we place
even higher expectations on demonstration of these characteristics) and then
additional leadership competences.
Key Characteristics and Leadership Competencies
Key Characteristics
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Perseverance
Rocketship Student Achievement
Self Awareness
Judgment
Internal Locus of Control
Planner
Adaptable
Mission Driven
Collaborative
Innovative
Eternally Positive
Quick Learning
Additional Leadership Competencies
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Effective Written and Oral
Communication Skills
Math Curriculum and Instruction
ELA Curriculum and Instruction
Effective at Using Data to Drive
Decisions
Ability to Give Feedback
Ability to Receive Feedback
Investment In and Use of Rocketship
Parent Involvement Model
Ability to Inspire and Motivate Others
In order to support teachers in reaching high levels of performance in these qualities and
competencies, the Rocketship Leadership Development program includes five phases. These
five phases span from our first contact with teachers when they are applying to work at
Rocketship to the ongoing support and development we provide for principals and academic
deans. An overview of the program is shown in the map below.
Phase 0: Recruitment and Outreach
At Rocketship Education, we are focused on recruiting excellent teachers and excellent future
school leaders. Our interview and selection process includes authentic tasks that screen for our
key characteristics and leadership competencies (listed above). Rocketship maintains a strong
partnership with Teach for America, attracting both high-performing corps members and
alumni to our network.
Phase 1: Leadership Development for All Teachers
Everyone at Rocketship Education will participate in Phase 1 of the Rocketship
Leadership Development Program to some extent. Phase 1 includes the following
components:
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1) Integration of leadership competencies into the Professional Growth Plan. As
with goals for instruction, all teachers will have one identified leadership goal
or focus area.
2) Regular coaching, feedback, and evaluation for teachers from the immediate
supervisor (often the Principal) on this leadership goal, in addition to the
Instructional leadership goals. (Academic Dean may also be coaching teachers,
but will be primarily focused on the instructional goals).
3) Option for teachers to participate in professional development specifically
devoted to leadership. There are multiple advantages to having large group
sessions initially. First, it will make it possible for Rocketship Education to have
a wider scope of individuals that are being trained. Moreover, these individuals
will begin to self-select as variation appears in their patterns of attendance,
acquisition of content knowledge, and performance on embedded various
leadership tasks. This large group training format, typically at the cluster level,
allows Rocketship to cast a wider net for future leaders and become much
more familiar with each individual’s strengths and weaknesses – both as
teachers and leaders.
4) Selection by principals of certain high-potential candidates to participate in
low-level embedded leadership opportunities (ELOs) and receive feedback on
these assignments. For example, a teacher might be asked to run the
homework program for his or her grade level and then be coached and
evaluated on their work. Principals will be required to assign a minimum
number of these opportunities in order to contribute to a more robust
applicant pool for Phase 2 of the Leadership Development Program. In these
roles, the teachers will be responsible for leadership tasks with clear
predetermined objectives and expectations.
5) Identification or recommendation by principals of individuals to participate in
later phases of the Leadership Development Program based on their progress
in the classroom (attaining 1.5+ years of growth for all Rocketeers),
performance on leadership tasks (if applicable), and progress in their selected
leadership goals on their Professional Growth Plans (PGPs).
The Rocketship Professional Growth Plan Leadership Component will occur for all
teachers at Rocketship Education in order to cast a wide net for potential leaders.
Thus, even teachers in their first year at Rocketship (or in their first year teaching) will
also have a Leadership goal selected for themselves. This is important to note because
each Rocketship school selects four first year Teach for America corps members each
year, who must first and foremost focus on their classroom instruction. In the first
months of school, these new staff members will collaborate with the Principal and
Academic Dean to ensure that they are developing as effective teachers within their
own classrooms and focus primarily on their goals in instruction.
Following this first month, the Principals will begin to finalize the Professional Growth
Plans (PGPs) for all staff members. The Dean will assist with this process for staff
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members that they are currently mentoring, but the Principal will have the final
discretionary decision regarding staff PGPs. It is at this time that either the Dean or
Principal selects at least two instructional focus areas, and at times three for the staff
member.
Additionally, staff members in Phase 1 will have one leadership strand selected. These
leadership strands will be “first level” skills that even first year teachers can address in
their work. It is essential that Rocketship be able to identify these first level skills and
integrate them into performance evaluations for all staff in order to begin the
leadership development process immediately.
NOTE: For a struggling first-year teacher, they may have only instructional goals
selected for their PGP. However, by the second semester, they should have improved
and begin to have a leadership goal within their PGP.
Throughout the year, the Principal, and at times the Academic Dean, will be
responsible for coaching the staff member on these first level leadership skills. These
skills will be derived from the Leadership Development Scorecard and may include
areas like time management, strong voice, planning, etc. By including these focus areas
on the PGP; Principals can address leadership development with staff from almost day
one, in addition to instructional goals.
Phase 2: Participation in Rocketship Leadership Training Program for Select Teachers
Phase II is the true beginning of the Rocketship Leadership Development program,
with participants being selected from the skilled pool of applicants cultivated in Phase
1. This rigorous selection process may include requirements for instructional
outcomes (1.5+ years gains for their students), leadership skills (measured on the PGP
Leadership Component), or implementation of Rocketship culture, evaluations (by
anonymous survey), performance on low-level embedded leadership opportunities in
Phase 1, formal application, selection committee, supervisor recommendations,
and/or a selection committee. We expect that no more than 33% of participants in
Phase 1 (which includes all teachers) will advance to Phase 2.
The selection of individuals into Phase 2 will typically occur in May for returning
teachers and October for teachers who are new to Rocketship.
Phase 2 of the Rocketship Leadership Training Program involves four components:
1) Regular (1-2 per month) trainings that are in a small group format. Trainings
will include a wide range of topics, informed by the scorecard and a leadership
competencies scope and sequence that will be developed.
2) Participation in structured embedded leadership opportunities with clear
objectives. Such opportunities will require higher-level skills than those
assigned in Phase 1 and will be selected for participants based on focus areas,
school needs, and principal discretion. Possible embedded leadership
opportunities in this phase include:
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School Level Parent Involvement Manager
Instructional Manager
School Culture Manager
Teacher Mentor
3) Ongoing coaching, feedback, and evaluation from the immediate supervisor
(often the Principal, sometimes the Dean as well). In situations where
participants are struggling with particular skills or competencies and
intervention is needed, a cluster-level leadership development staff member
may also provide coaching.
4) Extensive self-, manager-, and peer- assessment or 360 assessment program to
identify strengths and areas for growth and set goals and objectives for the
year.
Phase 2 is far more intensive than Phase 1 in that it involves a selection process or
individuals to participate, the embedded leadership opportunities are more
demanding (and may provide stipends), and there is a greater investment of
Leadership Development resources for training and coaching. Phase 1 is intended for
everyone at Rocketship to develop as a leader, rather Phase 2 means that a teacher
has been chosen through a rigorous selection process and has been identified as
having key traits that will allow them to be an effective Dean, Principal, or other leader
within the Rocketship Education network.
A staff member admitted into Phase 2 will start participating in group leadership
training sessions, which will occur once or twice a month. These large group sessions
will ideally begin in the early fall and continue throughout the year and summer. This
program will have a cohort model to foster collaborative learning, but the cohort will
not be “set” at any one point in time and candidates may progress at different rates.
In addition to these monthly trainings, individuals who participate in the program will
be assigned various tasks and responsibilities, or embedded leadership opportunities,
by their principals. Phase 2 will be focused on granting the selected individuals much
larger responsibilities within a school, which will primarily be focused on team
leadership and mentoring other teachers on staff. Consequently, these staff members
may be asked to take on roles in staff or community meetings, their grade level or
content areas, the Response to Intervention (RtI) program, or other projects. One of
the primary responsibilities that these individuals will receive is mentoring teachers
within the staff. They will intentionally be selected to mentor staff that are having
specific challenges and at different grade levels, which will put these individuals in
positions where they have to truly manage relationships and are more likely to engage
in difficult conversations at times. Unlike the previous mentorship in Phase 1, this
mentorship will be much more in-depth and involve coaching, observing, modeling,
and having difficult conversations.
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In general, PIT candidate responsibilities in this year will focus on achieving results
through other adults and managing time and stress. Additionally, PIT roles will allow
them to gain greater visibility in the community. DIT candidate responsibilities will be
more focused on gaining breadth in curriculum and instruction, as well as developing
expertise in professional development, Response to Intervention programming, and
SpEd/SAT/SST procedures.
These individuals will receive coaching and feedback from their Principals regarding
their leadership development skills in the PGP. All coaching and feedback will be
tailored to specific strengths and weaknesses, both those from their PGPs and those
established through a structured 360-degree feedback process at the beginning of
their involvement in this phase of the program. Throughout the year, the Principal,
and at times the Academic Dean, will be responsible for coaching the staff member on
their leadership development skills, selected as focus areas at the start of the year on
their PGPs. In cases where individuals are struggling to progress on specific leadership
goals, but exhibit many other high-potential qualities, or where additional support is
needed for any reason a cluster-level manager of leadership development may
intervene and provide support or coaching. This cluster resource will be limited to
working with staff in spot situations or specific trainings, but will be an additional
mentor in this process of leadership development. This will be an important
component in the growth and development of these Rocketship staff members as they
will now be closely integrated with the leadership work and will need greater support
in order to reflect and learn from their actions and decisions as leaders.
In most cases, candidates will be selected to participate in Phase 2, or the formal
Leadership Development Program, at the end of the previous academic year. In some
cases, candidates may be invited to participate in the middle of the academic year.
(For example, a high-potential who is new to Rocketship at the start of the year, may
immediately demonstrate competency in leadership areas on the PGP and be invited
to participate in Phase 2 starting in November or December). In addition, some staff
members that are experienced teachers, but new to Rocketship, may be selected to
participate in Phase 2 immediately upon their employment with Rocketship. It is also
noteworthy that a successful Teach for America corps member can participate in Phase
2 of the program during their second year of instruction, which will prepare them for a
PIT year in their third year. This is valuable as TFA corps members with a strong
interest in and aptitude for leadership may be considering other options outside of
Rocketship at the end of his or her two year commitment, and this leadership
opportunity could provide a strong incentive to stay.
Finally, the timeline for Phase 2 will vary depending on the individual development of a
leadership candidate. Most candidates will participate in phase two for two years, with
the strongest candidates moving into phase three after just one year.
Phase 3: Rocketship Leadership Training Program: Principals and Deans in Training
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Phase 3 of the Rocketship Leadership Training Program is the phase where candidates
officially move into their roles as Principals-in-Training (either Takeover or Startup) or
Deans-in-Training. While it is our hope that a high percentage of participants
transition from Phase 2 to Phase 3, as candidates in Phase 2 receive a non-trivial
investment of support and resources, the pool needs to be large enough so that in any
given year, only candidates of the highest caliber advance in this rigorous process.
Some participants (particularly future deans) will stay in Phase 2 for multiple years and
others will simply not continue in the leadership program. Overall, candidates will
need to meet rigorous selection criteria, derived from the leadership competencies, in
order to move into Phase 3.
Candidates in Phase 3 follow one of three specific tracks:
Dean in Training (DIT): Candidates continue to work as teachers but take on greater
responsibilities and participate in more rigorous training and coaching sessions to
prepare to work as a dean in the following year.
Takeover Principal in Training (T-PIT): Candidates continue to work as teachers but
take on greater responsibilities and participate in more rigorous training and coaching
sessions to prepare to work as a principal of an already established school in the
following year.
Startup Principal in Training (S-PIT): S-PITs are in their 12 month residency program in
Phase 3 where, in addition to their own training and growth, they are also responsible
for laying the groundwork for the school they will open the following year.
Dean in Training (DIT):
The Dean in Training position occurs for one year prior to a staff member assuming an
Academic Dean position. Individuals are often selected as Deans in Training in late
October to mid November and train throughout the academic year, prior to their
placement as an Academic Dean. With the development of a Leadership Development
Program, this timeline could be moved forward significantly, which would allow the
Deans in Training to begin their training within the first days and months of the school
year.
Primary Training Areas:
During the Deans in Training year, these individuals have three primary focus areas:
 Instructional Leadership with Teachers (coaching)
 Response to Intervention
 Professional Development facilitation
Dean in Training Program Elements:
 Mentoring one or more staff members
 Shadowing Response to Intervention
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 Monthly and at-times bi-weekly trainings
 “Takeover Weeks” where DITs take on full dean roles with deans serving as guides
and mentors
 Coaching from Principal, especially on strategies for working with staff
 Participating in intensive instructional professional development during the summer
months (i.e. GLAD, Writing Project, Intel Math, etc.)
Each of these focus areas requires different types of leadership and professional
development. In order to be effective, Deans in Training will require the following
trainings:
 Managing adults
 Coaching adults to change practice and achieve results
 Having difficult conversations/conflict management
 Data analysis
 Giving and receiving feedback
 Training on facets of coaching—modeling, co-teaching, observing, video taping, etc.
 Selecting, training, and evaluating RtI tutors
 Dismissing staff/tutors
 Organization
 Time Management
 Project Management
 Managing Self
 Facilitating adult learning
In addition to trainings, DITs will also receive explicit coaching and feedback from
their current and future principals and cluster leadership development staff on their
implementation of strategies from trainings.
Finally, it is important to remember that within Rocketship Education, some Academic
Deans are expected to eventually become Takeover Principals. So, although the Dean
in Training may have specific items that need to be learned that are for the most part
focused towards instructional leadership, they should still be selected from the same
rubric and leadership competencies that guide the selection, training, and evaluation
of Principals. However, Deans in Training are seen as individuals that are especially
strong in instruction and with further development, will be able to realize the
leadership expectations of the Principal role. Initially, they may not be prepared for
this role or seen as a “Startup leader,” but they should be viewed, selected, and
trained as an individual that is definitely a “Takeover leader.”
Startup Principal in Training:
The Principal in Training position recently became an official position at Rocketship
Education. This position grants a Startup Principal a 12-month window to develop and
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prepare for their school opening. This time-frame is ideal in that it allows the Principal
in Training to shadow current Principals and schools, while also being able to recruit
the necessary students and teachers in order to open their own school.
Principal in Training Program:
Principals in Training currently begin their Leadership Development by participating in
the ExSL (Execution in Entrepreneurial School Leadership) Program. ExSL is
a partnership between Inner-City Teaching Corps and The Levy Center at the Kellogg
School of Management at Northwestern University. The program is designed to
develop leaders who are effective in executing in entrepreneurial environments and
offers exposure and access to insights of successful Startups and entrepreneurs in
other industries. ExSL consists of 4 elements: The ExSL Summer Institute at
Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, plan development, the ExSL
Principal Forum, and dynamic on-going assessment and coaching. At Rocketship, we
believe that the first three components are very beneficial to the development of the
Principal in Training and will continue to explore ways to make the most of this
relationship.
Following the return of a Principal in Training from the ExSL program, they begin the
official PIT year which includes the following three main activities:
Leadership Experience
 Authentic management
experiences including
serving as the manager of
learning lab and RtI staff as
well as some additional
support staff (lunch and/or
dismissal)
 Coaching and support of at
least two teachers on staff,
representing different
levels of experience and in
subject areas where PIT
may not be experienced
 3-5 “Takeover” Weeks per
year where PIT serves as
principal
 PIT Projects that address
network needs and PIT
development areas (e.g.
planning college trips,
planning PD, running
Saturday CST prep)
Training & Coaching
 Trainings address the
following functional areas:
personal leadership,
performance management,
organizational
development, instructional
leadership, and operations
 360 feedback protocols to
assess personal
development areas
 Small group trainings with
LD staff, regional director,
or external facilitators
 1:1 coaching from principal
at school site, regional
director, and leadership
development staff as
needed.
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Start-Up School Activities
 Student recruitment and
outreach (less significant
role in 11-12 due to
increased role of growth
team)
 Community and family
engagement activities
(community meetings,
home visits)
 Staff hiring and
engagement (Dean, OM,
teachers, hourly staff)
 Drafting school plan that
incorporates additional
core value and principal’s
own touch on RSED mission
as well as day-to-day
systems and procedures
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Other possible PIT activities include:
 Shadowing current Principals
 Mentoring at least one staff member at each site
 Possibly team-teaching in specific grade levels [i.e. S-PIT has most experience
teaching 4th grade, will then team teach with a primary (K-2) teacher in order to
learn these grades]
 Helping to facilitate and plan staff meetings
 Managing special projects within Achievement (i.e. teacher professional
development, student recruiting handbook, etc.)
 Observing Learning Lab
 Observing Response to Intervention
 Monthly and at-times bi-weekly trainings
 1:1/Coaching with CAO
 Coaching one Dean in Training (who will be assigned to their school)
 Building the Parent Leadership team for their start-up school
 Recruiting students and teachers
The Principal in Training year is a crucial time period that if properly planned for and
developed, can be a very beneficial 12 months that thoroughly prepares Principals to
be successful during a school Startup. Overall, a majority of the Principal in Training
sessions will mirror the Dean in Training, but there will be some differences:
 Managing adult relationships
 Coaching adults to change practice and achieve results
 Having difficult conversations/conflict management
 Data analysis
 Giving and receiving feedback
 Training on facets of coaching—modeling, co-teaching, observing, vide- taping, etc.
 Selecting, training, and evaluating teachers
 Dismissing staff
 Organization
 Time Management
 Project Management
 Managing Self
 Developing others as leaders
 Influencing and motivating
 Involving parents and families
 Leading community
Takeover Principal in Training:
At Rocketship we expect that Takeover Principals who take over established schools
will normally be academic deans first. However, in some situations, an individual make
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progress from teacher to participant in Phase 2 to Takeover Principal in Training (TPIT). This role will not have the 12-month residency afforded to Startup Principals in
Training (S-PITs).
This training year will look almost identical to the Dean in Training year, but trainings
will also include topics designed for principals including the following:
 Selecting, training, and evaluating teachers
 Dismissing staff
 Developing others as leaders
 Influencing and motivating
 Involving parents and families
 Leading community
Additionally, embedded leadership opportunities for T-PITs will more closely mirror
that of S-PITs, though they will be less intensive as these individuals will also be fulltime teachers with little or no release time to complete these additional projects.
Phase 4: Principals and Academic Deans
Phase 4 of the Leadership Development Program involves the ongoing professional
development and support of principals and deans once they move into their roles. To
date, most professional development opportunities for Principals and Academic Deans
occur in 1:1 meetings with their immediate supervisors and a human resources
consultant. In addition, the Principals receive professional development during weekly
Achievement Team Meetings (ATMs).
Summary
Rocketship’s plans for growth and scale depend on having a talented and prepared
pipeline of leaders ready to serve as principals and academic deans. Therefore, it is
critical that the organization establish a high-quality and comprehensive system for
identifying, cultivating, developing, training, evaluating, and supporting talent from
within its schools. Rocketship strongly believes that this investment in building
leadership capacity in staff will foster not only a ready pipeline of future leaders, but
most importantly, the highest quality leaders for all existing schools.
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