$5M federal grant to train principals in Camden

CAMDEN A $5 million federal grant will fund a training program to prepare current and aspiring principals for leadership roles in some of New Jersey's most challenging schools.

The Camden City School District said it would use the five-year grant to launch Camden Pathway to Leadership in Urban Schools (CamdenPLUS), a program that selects and prepares principals to lead in local district and charter schools.

The program, run through TNTP, a national nonprofit founded by teachers, already was launched in Philadelphia with the purpose of placing leaders in the schools to give them experience managing issues confronting low-income communities before their first day on the job. Philadelphia has 13 participants in its first year.

"Strong school leaders create learning environments in which our students and teachers feel safe and can excel academically and socially," state-appointed Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard said in a news release.

A School Leadership Program grant, one of 20 awarded nationwide by the U.S. Department of Education, funds CamdenPLUS.

Those selected by the program will attend six weeks of training during summer 2014 before spending a year embedded at a school as an assistant principal working under "highly qualified school leaders," according to the release.

In fall 2015, participants who complete the residency will be placed in a district, Renaissance, or charter school in Camden.

The program gives its residents experience in managing a group of teachers and holds the leader accountable for the outcomes of those teachers' students as a requirement for successful completion of the program, Camden school officials said.

Recruitment for CamdenPLUS begins immediately, with the district aiming to recruit 12 to 15 residents in the program's first year. Those interested may e-mail info@camdenplus.org.

The program is open to certified principals as well as those interested in obtaining a principal certification through CamdenPLUS.