The City of Phoenix Youth and Education Office is rolling out the welcome mat once again for its annual Partner with a Principal program, an initiative that brings business and community leaders into the fold of educational administration. According to their latest announcement, the program is scheduled to run from September 9 through October 18, opening doors for leaders to step into the shoes of public, charter, and private school principals.
Participants will then huddle with their principal partners to brainstorm on fostering enduring partnerships aimed at enriching Phoenix's educational landscape, enhancing workplace readiness, and bolstering leadership development programs. As reported last year, 61 partnerships were birthed from this program.
The synergy between Grand Canyon University (GCU) staff and schools like Bernard Black Entrepreneur Academy and Tomahawk Elementary School speaks volumes of the program's success. Dr. Carol Lippert, an assistant vice president at GCU, told Phoenix.gov Newsroom, "At GCU we are always looking at ways to provide outreach to our community, so we jumped right on board when we heard about the ‘Partner with a Principal’ program." She elaborated on the benefits, stating it was a way to acquaint GCU staff who maybe aren’t as familiar with how K-12 schools work and operate on a regular basis, and to also explore ways for us to partner with those schools into the future.
With the aim of tailored partnerships, Laveen School District has not been left behind, illustrating the dynamic nature of these collaborations with the Chasse Building Team and Vulcan Materials Company. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Sprout emphasized the importance of evolution in these relationships. Evolving with the district's needs and also understanding the needs of their partners, as he told Phoenix.gov Newsroom, "The greatest aspect of these relationships is they evolve with the needs of the district, but also throughout that relationship we hear about their needs as well and so that helps us to equip our students to be their future workforce."
