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Put Your Mask on First! Taking care of you, so in turn, you can help GEAR UP students.
Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been on a plane, but it’s probably easy to remember that safety instructions on every flight. So, let’s talk about how you can take care of you so you can take care of your students!
When we get on a plane, we know the drill. Once we are settled into our seats, in a matter of minutes, the flight attendant will go over the safety drill. Early into those remarks, we are told:
“If the cabin pressure changes suddenly during the flight, oxygen masks will automatically drop from the compartment above your seat. If this happens, pull one of the masks down to your face and cover your nose and mouth. Slip the elastic band around your head and tighten by pulling the loose ends at each side of the mask. Then, just breathe normally. Oxygen will be flowing to the mask, so don’t worry if the bag doesn’t inflate. Be sure to put your mask on before helping others and keep it on until a crew member advises you to take it off.”
In today’s climate and a year of unprecedented challenges to school systems due to the COVID pandemic, it is understandable that leaders might be reluctant to prioritize professional learning. I urge you to resist that thinking, put on your mask, and make sure you have the support system you need to respond to the challenges ahead. The NCCEP District Leadership Institute (DLI) is available for you and your district leaders to take the time to invest in professional learning, connect with leaders across the country, and develop the tools you will need to navigate through and recover from everything we have experienced over the past year.
We know that investing the time and resources for ourselves or other members of our teams to participate in the DLI learning experience can have great career, leadership, and organizational benefits.
The DLI is designed to maximize the talent and collaborative leadership skills of highly motivated district- and state-level leaders and college-access professionals. Who does that include? DLI is a unique professional development opportunity for GEAR UP directors and senior staff, superintendents, high school principals, directors of college and career readiness, chief academic officers, and other leaders who seek to make a positive impact on behalf of GEAR UP students. It is undoubtedly an opportunity to support and engage with your local educational stakeholders.
The 10-month cohort learning model uses an integrated approach that empowers participants to:
- Learn in a trusted community of practice, focused on building organizational culture on behalf of students;
- Understand the concept of equity and develop change strategies to ensure equity for all students served by GEAR UP grants;
- Examine project-level data and how it can be leveraged to drive change; and
- Strengthen college-going expectations for all students.
When you join the DLI Cohort, you commit to a 5-day curricular strategy over the course of 10 months that presents rich content-relevant content to GEAR UP grantees and to the disciplinary field of college and career readiness. DLI stimulates critical thinking for building essential skills to lead districts and state-level projects, to improve practice, and to achieve the outcomes of your respective grants. Over the last 5 years, DLI has helped over 150 leaders from GEAR UP-funded districts across the nation accelerate their impact in serving over 250,000 students.
Remember, without placing your “mask on first”, you risk not being able to fully help the students and families you seek you serve. Make a commitment and join us for the 2021-22 DLI cohort!
Click here to apply and learn more about the program. Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.
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I know I am counting down the days until I can travel again!