1. A Conversation with Von Sheppard
Wednesday, February 13, 4 p.m. ET
A Conversation with Von Sheppard
How did he learn to transform a school?
What can we learn from his experience?
Von Sheppard
Assistant superintendent, Boulder, Colorado
Former principal, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, St. Paul, Minnesota

3. Von Sheppard Assistant superintendent, Boulder, Colorado
Former principal, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, St. Paul, Minnesota

5. “It is so important to dispel the myth that these children can’t learn to high standards. There’s a belief system out there that they’re not as smart as white kids. We’re on a mission to conquer every myth and every test.”
--Von Sheppard, principal, Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School
St. Paul, Minnesota

6. Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary St
Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary St. Paul, Minnesota 312 students, Kindergarten through Grade 6
African American 48%
Asian 21%
Latino 14%
White 15%
Low Income 92%

7. Source: Minnesota Department of Education School Report Card,

8. Source: Minnesota Department of Education School Report Card,

19. What effective principals do
Shape a vision of academic success for all students
Create a climate hospitable to education
Cultivate leadership in others
Lead the leadership team
Lead the professional learning community
Improve instruction
Manage people, data and processes to foster school improvement
The Wallace Foundation

20. Key steps districts can take
Clearly define standards for principals
Define accountability and leader evaluation measures and give principals the authority and support to achieve them
Use leader evaluation to focus more attention on their role on improving instruction
Place and retain effective principals in the highest needs schools
Provide timely, relevant data to enable principals to accurately diagnose and address students’ learning needs
Provide time for principals to focus on instruction
Design and implement a pipeline to develop, train, place and support effective principals for all schools
The Wallace Foundation

21. Putting it all together: a “principal pipeline”
Leader standards
High-quality aspiring leader training programs
Selective hiring
Evaluation and on-the-job support
That are all:
High quality
Aligned
In support of district reform agenda
District-wide scale
The Wallace Foundation

22. Register now for the rest of the webinar series:
Tuesday, March 12 , 4-5 p.m. ET
A Conversation with Jeffrey Litt, superintendent of Icahn Charter Schools
Tuesday, April 16 , 4-5 p.m. ET
A Conversation with Teri Brecheen, director of literacy for Oklahoma
Wednesday, May 15, 4-5 p.m. ET
A Conversation with Sharon Brittingham, principal coach for the state of Delaware
How did they learn to transform their schools?
What can we learn from their experiences that will
help us improve schools across the country?