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Continuum OverviewAspiringLaunchingBuildingMastering

The Aspiring stage of school leadership arises as an educator first considers a future administrative role as a real possibility. This stage establishes the mindset, leadership intelligences, and community of peers necessary for aspiring administrators to envision themselves as future learning leaders. See below for the resources the IPA has available to support Aspiring leaders.

Lead

School Leader Paradigm: The Research
This School Leader Paradigm companion provides a comprehensive listing of the extensive research reviewed to identify the critical leadership dispositions and essential behaviors school leaders must possess and exhibit to be effective.

School Leader Paradigm: The Learning Resources
The School Leader Paradigm companion document provides a comprehensive listing of school leadership learning resources.

School Leadership That Fits
Looking for a school leadership position that's right for you? In this impactful document, find tips and resources to assist with finding the right leadership opportunity, crafting a resume, preparing for an interview, drafting an employment contract, and much more.

Illinois School Leader Pipeline Program

The Illinois School Leader Pipeline Program (ISLPP) identifies, develops, supports, and sustains diverse cohorts of aspiring school leaders as they progress through preparation to attainment of school leadership positions (principal or assistant principal). The IPA and the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration (ICPEA) collaboratively coordinate and deliver the ISLPP with grant support from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Request a Resume Review
Request to have your resume reviewed for improvements and to ensure it follows best practices for school leaders. 

Principal Endorsement Programs

The IPA partners with Aurora University and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to offer unique opportunities for aspiring school leaders to earn their principal endorsements by earning Micro-Credentials and completing other program requirements. Micro-Credentials are earned on the Ed Leaders Network platform.

Request a Contract Review
Request to have your employment contract reviewed by the IPA's in-house general counsel to assure it contains all appropriate employment and due process protections.  IPA also provides a model employment contract for members.
Salary & Benefits Survey
The IPA publishes an annual salary and benefits survey of principals, APs, and deans, which is an informative and useful tool for contract negotiations.  In partnership with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the IPA also provides an online salary modeling tool to allow you to generate projected positional salaries using various metrics.

IPA Talks
IPA Talks are casual chats between IPA staff and experts in the field of education about the day's hottest topics. Subjects cover a range of topics including school law, safety, assessment, the educator pipeline, and school leadership. Episodes can be found on the IPA's website or YouTube channel.

Engage

IPA on Facebook
IPA on X
IPA on YouTube
The PrinciPal
Look for The PrinciPal to hit your inbox early every Friday morning. In it, you will find important IPA updates and information from the field that will support your work as a school leader.

IPA Connect

This online space is for you and your member colleagues to support and encourage one another in real time and share resources. IPA Connect provides you the privacy needed to ask and answer the hard questions that come with the profession.

IPA Education Leaders Annual Conference
Held every October in Peoria, the IPA Educational Leaders Annual Conference provides the opportunity to hear from dynamic, nationally recognized keynote speakers, attend practitioner-led small group sessions, and connect with peers from throughout the state. Attendees may elect to earn professional development hours for conference participation. Members are encouraged to join the conference planning committee to support the profession and contribute to the conference's success.

WELL Summit
The Women in Education Leading and Learning Summit in March is an event to empower, connect, inspire, support, celebrate, and develop women in educational leadership. The two-day event features nationally recognized keynote speakers, small group sessions, and plenty of time for participants to network and socialize. The Summit is a partnership between 18 organizations

I-Grow Summit
The I-Grow Summit for Educational Leaders and Teachers of Color is the first event in Illinois with the specific goal to grow, retain, and recruit educational leaders and teachers of color. Held in April, the Summit is a partnership between 10 organizations.

Advocate

Advocacy in Action Newsletters

Get regular updates on legislative activity happening at the state and federal level. When the General Assembly is in session, look for these to show up in your inbox almost every week.

Legislative & Case Law Update
This comprehensive guide is published annually and summarizes all new laws, court cases, and other enactments that impact building level leaders.  Helpful implementation tips and considerations are included.

IPA Bill Tracker

Each year, the Illinois General Assembly introduces hundreds of bills that impact legislation. To help you keep tabs on legislation that most effects school leaders, leverage the IPA's Bill Tracker that summarizes legislation and informs you how it is progressing through the legislative process.

IPA Legislative Platform

Curious as to the IPA's position on various policy related issues? Be sure to review the association's Legislative Platform. It covers the principalship, principal evaluation and support, school funding, educator preparation, school accountability, mandates & reform, special education, curriculum, and the school environment & construction.

Learn

Ed Leaders Network Leadership Courses
The Ed Leaders Network (ELN) is an online professional learning platform designed to support educators and school leaders across the country.  Over 90 School Leader Paradigm aligned courses are available on ELN for you to enhance your leadership dispositions and skills.

Ed Leaders Network Teacher Evaluation Calibration Videos

ELN houses calibration video exercises designed to provide teacher evaluators and observers with opportunities to calibrate their perceptions of (1) effective instructional practice related to the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching Domains and Components and (2) high-quality, written feedback. A further goal of the exercises is to increase inter-rater reliability as well as build a common understanding of high-quality practice and feedback grounded in evidence collected during observations.

Ed Leaders Network Mandated Trainings
ELN provides state-mandated training for Illinois educators. Through a partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education, this training (and all other ELN courses) are available to public school educators in Illinois at no cost.

Ed Leaders Network Webinars

Throughout the year, ELN provides several free webinars each month on a variety of timely and relevant topics to educators across the country. These one-hour sessions spotlight new strategies, leadership tips, and tools that attendees can consider for immediate use. Attendees of the live webinars may earn professional development credit. All webinars are recorded for future viewing.

Ed Leaders Network Micro-Credentials
Micro-Credentials offer a personalized learning opportunity to use your knowledge and experience to earn a digital badge that demonstrates your mastery of specific leadership skills. The Micro-Credentials are aligned to the Leadership Dimensions under the three Domains of the School Leader Paradigm - Culture, Systems, and Learning.  They are worth 20 hours of PD credit, Administrator Academy credit, and support pathways to school leadership licensure at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Aurora University.

Teacher and Principal Evaluator Initial Training and Retraining

The IPA provides ISBE-required Administrator Academies for individuals needing to earn their teacher and/or principal evaluator intial training and retraining. Earned evaluator designations appear on an Illinois educator's Professional Educator License (PEL).