Monthly eNewsletter – July 2025
Our collective power expands when we support each other to foster the unlimited potential of each and every student.
Introducing our New PRN Cohort!
CLEE welcomes our new cohort of Aspiring Principals into the Principal Residency Network (PRN). These courageous educators are advancing their careers and driving innovation to improve student outcomes. Most are beginning their journey this summer, while some have entered the second year of their extended pathway.
- Alison King, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School
- Andrew Smith, New England Tech Academy
- Becky Blais, Ocean State Academy Learning Center
- Bertholyn Alexandre, Achievement First Envision Elementary School
- Carter Cox, Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School
- Cecilia Caldarone, Bridge Academy
- Chloe Allen, Segue Institute for Learning
- Christimer Melendez Reyes, Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School
- Colleen Flaherty, Achievement First Promesa Elementary
- Cynthia Louis-Dale, Achievement First Envision Elementary
- David Fraioli, Jr., Reservoir Avenue School
- David Mullowney, Rhode Island School for the Deaf
- Elizabeth Boyar, Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Middle School
- Erroll Lomba, Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School
- Jaclyn Casey, Segue Institute for Learning
- Jennifer Andrade, Achievement First Promesa Elementary
- Jephte Pierre, Achievement first Providence High School
- John Fretts, W B Cooley & Academy International
- Josette Farmer, Achievement First: Providence Academy Middle School (PAMS)
- Katelyn Mike, Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Middle School
- Kristin Joyal, Rise Prep Mayoral Academy
- Kristine Lapierre, Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center
- Leela Ballah, St. Andrew’s School
- Menalisa Mendes, Achievement First: Providence Academy Middle School (PAMS)
- Michelle Laboissonniere, Segue Institute for Learning
- Monalisa Mendes, Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy
- Nicole Larkin, Harris Elementary School
- Nita Childress, Times2 Middle/High School
- Peter Siner, Nathanael Greene Middle School
- Roberto Vargas Tapia, Ella Risk Elementary School
- Rosa Vargas, Rise Prep Mayoral Academy
- Sam Saltz, PVD Prep
- Stephanie McSweeney, Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy
- Stephen Emerson, La Salle Academy
- Tanin Longway, Portsmouth Middle School
- William Tejada, Mount Pleasant High School
- Yomely Marte, Sheila Skip Nowell Leadership Academy (Capital Campus)
Do you want to earn Principal Certification in Massachusetts or Rhode Island? PRN stands as one of the first and most distinguished residency-based principal certification programs in the country. Contact us to learn how to join our 26-27 Cohort!
Advance Your Career as a Leader Committed to Students
Widespread Leadership Matters for School Improvement
Improving outcomes for each and every student requires leadership that extends beyond a single individual or role. Widespread leadership builds shared responsibility across teachers, school leaders, families, and students. It strengthens the collective capacity to engage in effective school improvement.
When schools develop leadership across roles, they see stronger alignment between student needs and instructional practice. Educators collaborate more effectively and communities become more engaged in shaping the conditions for success.
Leadership is a Practice, Not a Position
Widespread leadership depends on consistent engagement in practices that support reflection, collaboration, and shared inquiry. These practices help teams examine their work, respond to student needs, and build more coherent improvement efforts. Educators and leaders who engage in these practices develop the knowledge and skills needed to lead with others, not in isolation.
Widespread leadership strengthens academic outcomes, increases staff capacity, and improves educator retention. When school communities include students, families, and educators in identifying needs and assets, they create more relevant and sustainable school improvement plans. When positional leaders are equipped to build the leadership of others, they help entire systems grow stronger.
3 Ways to Build Your Capacity for Widespread Leadership!
CLEE offers open learning opportunities that support leadership development at all levels. Each program invites active engagement and builds capacity to collaborate for student success. All educators are welcome.
CLEE Fall Meeting
Join a national community of educators for two days of in-person learning. Participate in small-group learning and peer-led sessions that model collaborative leadership in action.
Introduction to Adult Facilitation
This flexible, online course provides foundational tools and frameworks to lead collaborative adult learning communities. Participants gain strategies they can apply immediately in professional learning settings.
Introduction to Adult Facilitation
Creating Collaborative Leadership: Virtual Workshop Series
Engage in free, interactive virtual sessions that strengthen your skills in leading student-focused collaboration. Each session offers practical tools and shared learning.
Register for a Virtual Workshop
Widespread leadership begins with intentional development. These learning opportunities provide a path forward for educators and leaders who seek to improve outcomes by leading with others.
CLEE Partners with RIDE on New Apprenticeship Pathway for Aspiring Principals
CLEE is proud to partner with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) on the launch of the Rhode Island Registered Apprenticeship Program for Principals (RIRAPP), one of the first programs of its kind in the nation. This innovative initiative creates a paid, on-the-job pathway into school leadership and addresses the urgent need to strengthen the principal pipeline across the state.
CLEE serves as the selected Education Preparation Program for RIRAPP and leads the design and delivery of professional learning through the Principal Residency Network (PRN). Participants receive intensive coaching, mentorship, and on-the-job training as assistant principals while earning a salary and working toward certification. The program provides tuition support, licensure assistance, and a structured residency aligned with CLEE’s proven residency-based model.
“The principalship is one of the most complex and rewarding positions in education. How we prepare educators for it determines how well they continuously improve learning for students and support for educators and families. The best preparation involves real life practice with skilled support from a mentor and a rigorous training program. We are excited to partner with RIDE to implement the innovative RIRAPP pathway as a part of our PRN program to provide additional opportunities for excellent educators to access intensive on-the-job training.”
- Donna Braun, CLEE Executive Director
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to prepare excellent school leaders who can improve student outcomes, support educators, and strengthen school communities across Rhode Island.
Two Opportunities to Learn, Connect, and Lead This Fall
Educators across the country are deepening their practice, expanding their networks, and sustaining their purpose through shared learning. This fall, two powerful learning opportunities, on opposite coasts, offer space to reflect, recharge, and lead forward.
In the East: CLEE Fall Meeting
November 13-14, 2025 – Rhode Island
Join the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity (CLEE) for a two-day in-person gathering designed for educators at all levels. Through hands-on practice, peer collaboration, and learning in community, participants will strengthen their ability to lead adult learning, foster collaborative teams, and take action for school and system improvement. This meeting centers on joy, reflection, and real tools for change.
Learn more and register: clee.org/fall-meeting
In the West: SF-CESS Fall Forum
November 7-9, 2025 – San Bruno, California
The San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools (SF-CESS) will bring back Fall Forum in 2025 as a national gathering for educators to share practice, build relationships, and engage in courageous dialogue about the future of education. With the theme “We Are Not Alone”, Fall Forum brings together practitioners, students, and thought leaders to explore what’s possible when we lead with purpose, build with others, and stay rooted in shared struggle and collective vision.
Learn more and register: sfcess.org/fall-forum-2025-we-are-not-alone
Wherever you are, there’s a place for you to connect and grow. Whether you’re on the East Coast or the West Coast, or willing to travel, both events offer meaningful space to reflect on your leadership, connect with a learning community, and take action to support thriving schools.
Callouts:
Continue the work of collaboration and student-focused leadership in person this fall. CLEE Fall Meeting will bring together educators and leaders from across the country for two days of hands-on practice, deep reflection, and shared learning.
We will focus on facilitative leadership, adult learning, and building strong communities of practice.
Register Early and Save
Early bird registration for Fall Meeting is open through September 1 at $740. Groups of three or more can take advantage of the group rate of $690/person. Standard registration after September 1 will be $890/person.Learn More Register Now
Each month, CLEE offers a question or two to help you reflect on what you are experiencing. Thinking about the importance of questioning and what your answers mean is one more step in your growth as a leader.
Join CLEE on social media to follow the monthly questions and share your answers.