On the flight back to Texas from her one-week workshop at Harvard University, Alba-Golden high school principal Brittany Hall had a very reassuring thought. She recounted, “I felt personally rejuvenated and very excited about the path Alba-Golden school was on.” 

That affirmation came after spending a full week with 166 principals from around the world at the renowned school in Boston. 

This unique opportunity was a symposium titled ‘Achieving Excellence – Leadership Development for Principals’ hosted by Harvard and funded – for Hall – by the Charles Butt Foundation. This year the foundation generously  funded 32 principals from rural schools in Texas.

It was no small commitment by the foundation. The cost included lodging, airfare, meals – a full ticket. The Butt family, founders and owners of H-E-B groceries, has been a champion of education in Texas for decades. 

The Butt Foundation recently split into an operational support branch (which supports this annual symposium at Harvard and many other education-related endeavors) and an advocacy branch which lobbies in support of education matters in Austin.

A significant amount of paperwork preceded selection for attendance. Hall had to produce an issue paper specific to Alba-Golden high school. Hall selected concern for an environment which has seen a notable amount of administrative leadership change in the recent past. 

She also had to submit a leadership examination, conduct a remote interview and express what it was she was seeking to receive from the symposium. 

It was not without some concern that she made preparations to head off to Boston. A native Texan, she had reservations about a large city in the Northeast and concerns about whether the event would be influenced by political fringe elements at Harvard.

In the course of those six days, all of her concerns were dismissed.

“The city was clean, the people very engaging and the university was strictly professional,” she shared. That environment allowed 100% focus on the  topic of leadership development. 

Hall explained that the attendees were mixed into groups of 12. In each group, principals with differing leadership styles were represented, and their school-specific issues were matched. 

Each day educators from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Business School presented topical briefings. In the mid-afternoon, the attendees broke into their cohort groups to apply the information to the issues they brought with them.

The first few days focused on understanding one’s individual leadership style and recognizing how that leadership style impacts the culture of the school.

“The whole week communicated one over-arching message,” Hall explained, “…it is vital to create and nurture a culture of learning.”  

She went on to explain, that was a culture without fear, without violence or intimidation – a supportive environment focused on improvement, individual and collective success.

Hall remarked, “You must continuously ask the question: ‘What is valued at this school?’”

It was evident to Hall that in this regard, Alba-Golden was on a clear path for success. 

She offered the anecdote that one exercise required each attendee to send a text message to a teacher who consistently produced quality work with little or no fanfare. She stated that not one, but four teachers immediately popped into her head. They each received a message. This is illustrative of the excellent learning environment at Alba-Golden, Hall offered.

The second half of the week focused on more specifically addressing the individual issues of each principal. Hall admitted that having exposure to some of the more serious circumstances as described by some foreign attendees – such as political violence, criminal activity, poverty, lack of governmental support, no public funding – did place her personal concerns in perspective. 

It also, she confided, helped to strengthen appreciation for the fortunate circumstances under which education in East Texas flourishes. Regardless of circumstances both here and abroad, all the educators shared the vision of doing everything they possibly could to educate the next generation.

Hall noted four powerful takeaways from the symposium: a relook at the best methods with which to academically challenge struggling students, the importance of critical thinking (problem solving) in the classroom, greater student involvement in school activities and leveraging affirmations already present to amplify their effect.

For Hall, the biggest surprise during the week at Harvard was the absence of data analysis. When queried, it was explained that the week would be spent discussing building a positive, learning culture. It was described as the key to success.

On how she would place some of what she learned into effect at Alba-Golden, Hall responded, “Well, we are going to keep doing much of what we already have in place – building Team AG, setting goals, collaborating with families and the community and celebrating successes.” 

She also mentioned that there will be a renewed focus on vigorously working to meet standards, including what could be called ‘stretch goals.’ 

Hall confirmed that Alba-Golden High School is committed to preparing students for success in college or in technical or service careers. She also stressed that beyond that step is preparation for the students to becoming contributing members of the local community and society at large.

Appropriately sporting a Harvard sweatshirt on a Wednesday of the second week of school, Hall was very cognizant of sending a  message of life-long education.

“It is important that our students see that education never stops,” she summarized.