Classrooms are the heart of schools, but leadership responsibilities can limit your time spent in them. Instructional Rounds give leaders a structured way to observe classrooms, gather insights, and reflect collaboratively. This practice is not about evaluation; it is about understanding what drives student success.
Instructional Rounds at Woodridge Elementary and Blackstone Academy
On September 18, 2025, PRN alumna Marisa Jackson (’17) welcomed the current PRN cohort to Woodridge Elementary School in Cranston, RI, for an Instructional Rounds visit. Principal Jackson, who now serves as principal of Woodridge, proudly leads a school recognized in 2023 with the National Blue Ribbon Award as an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School.
During the visit, Principal Jackson highlighted leadership strategies grounded in the Core Leadership Practices and shared Woodridge’s progress on strengthening its Tier 1 program. She also introduced a problem of practice and a focus question to guide aspiring principals as they observed classrooms, gathered evidence, and engaged in collaborative reflection during the feedback protocol.
The PRN cohort also visited Blackstone Academy Charter School in Pawtucket, RI, learning from Head of School, Kyleen Carpenter. Blackstone Academy is a high school grounded in social emotional learning, community and independent inquiry. During the visit, Head of School Carpenter shared the school’s emphasis on increasing rigor, specifically within proficiency-based assessments. Aspiring principals visited classrooms noting the differences and also similarities between an elementary and secondary instructional program. This component of Instructional Rounds helps aspiring principals learn to lead in varied contexts.
The instructional rounds experience was highly impactful for the aspiring principals. One AP reflected, “Being a part of these instructional rounds was eye-opening for me. We get so carried away in the four walls of our own schools that I think sometimes we forget the realities that exist in other spaces.”
The PRN extends sincere gratitude to Marisa Jackson and Kyleen Carpenter for opening their school and practice to the cohort. This experience not only broadened participants’ perspectives but also provided an invaluable opportunity to learn from transformational leaders.
“I loved these instructional rounds. Being a classroom teacher, I rarely get insight on other spaces. I also have only ever been in one school- so I loved being able to explore other districts’ missions and visions. I also loved the reflection protocol and plan to bring this to our district.”
– PRN Aspiring Principal