Principals Complete The Distinguished Leadership In Practice Program

SMITHFIELD – Johnston County Public Schools principals Lyndsey Dunn (McGee’s Crossroads Elementary), Dr. Ryan Ewell (Cleveland Elementary), and LaShunda Faison (Smithfield Middle) recently completed the Distinguished Leadership in Practice Program (DLP).

The program is a year-long leadership development program for practicing school principals from all regions of the state. DLP is designed and provided by the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principal’s Association (NCPAPA) and sponsored by the North Carolina Alliance for School Leadership Development (NCASLD.)

The DLP uses a non-traditional professional development model that is aligned to the performance evaluation standards adopted by the State Board of Education for North Carolina’s school leaders. This unique cohort-based program is designed to limit principals’ time away from their schools by allowing them to attend face-to-face sessions once every other month while accessing on-line assignments, materials, and coaching in between face-to-face sessions. Principals engage in a series of authentic activities throughout the year-long experience that are designed to build the capacity of their schools and their own capacity as “Distinguished” school leaders.

“The leadership of the school principal is by far one of the most important factors in school quality. By completing this very rigorous program, our DLP graduates have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement by working to improve their leadership skills as they simultaneously improve their schools. We are proud to include them in the ranks of successful DLP completers,” said Dr. Shirley Prince, NCPAPA Executive Director.

NCPAPA, in existence since 1976, is the preeminent organization and state voice for principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders. NCPAPA represents 5,000+ members from across the state, and serves as the state’s principal affiliate of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP.)