EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)- The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based nonprofit focused on leadership and public education, has selected the El Paso Independent School District and the Canutillo Independent School District to join the Holdsworth Leadership Collaborative program.
El Paso Independent School District:
EPISD says the program will be instrumental in building stronger principals and helping the district to create its own best-in-class principal pipeline system.
“The Holdsworth Center Partnership Program is one of the most prestigious educational leadership programs in the country, and being accepted into the program is an incredible honor,” Superintendent Diana Sayavedra said. “It is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire school community. El Paso ISD will benefit from this exciting opportunity to collaborate with other passionate leaders and further our commitment to excellence in education to inspire and empower all students to thrive.”
EPISD adopted a new mission, vision and core values, and augmented it with its Hopes and Dreams Realized 2022-2025 strategic blueprint to take a dramatic step forward in 2023. To meet the blueprint’s actions, the district knows it must commit to building leaders who can inspire staff to thrive.
EPISD also said its main objective while engaged with the Holdsworth Center in this partnership is to become proficient in the core components of the Holdsworth framework. Doing so will allow the district to make the work that needs to be done easier and subsequently translate it into the installations of systems and actions that will push the district forward.
“El Paso ISD demonstrated a strong commitment to developing leaders and a growth mindset around learning new concepts,” said Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of the Holdsworth Center. “The goal is to help the expert educators in El Paso ISD become skilled, visionary district and school leaders who May 26, 2023, can provide the support teachers and students need to thrive. Great leaders draw out the best in people and inspire them to achieve the unimaginable. Leadership is not a skill people are born with, it can be taught and honed through day-to-day practice.”
As part of the partnership, EPISD leaders will participate in the multi-year District Leadership
and Campus Leadership Programs to receive the inspiration, tools and resources needed to grow their skills and drive positive change.
Additionally, Holdsworth District Support Team members will embed within the central office to help create a bench of strong principals. Every time there is a principal opening, the goal is for EPISD to have at least two highly qualified and well-trained leaders ready to step into the role and make an impact on students from day one.
Research shows that effective principals can significantly impact student outcomes by creating the conditions for teachers to thrive. Because principals influence the working conditions and skill level of every teacher in the building, their impact is paramount.
Canutillo Independent School District:
“Canutillo demonstrated a strong commitment to developing principals and a growth mindset around learning new concepts,” said Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of The Holdsworth Center. “Great leaders draw out the best in people and inspire them to achieve the unimaginable. Every student in Canutillo deserves a strong principal at the helm of their school.”
As part of the collaborative, a team of three, the superintendent and two district leaders, will work with Holdsworth staff to define what great leadership looks like in Canutillo and use this definition to design systems and structures to strengthen the principal pipeline.
Canutillo Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz said the district’s inclusion in this year’s leadership collaborative is a testament to the work being done in the district.
“We continue to show the region and the state that in Canutillo, innovation in education is a priority, and that our students and teachers are performing at unprecedented levels because of it,” he said. “I look forward to working with Holdworth trainers to continue demonstrating why Canutillo is the Best Small School District in Texas and El Paso’s only Triple-A Rated School District.”
“We don’t believe there are any quick fixes in education. Investing in the skill and capacity of the people working in our schools is the only way we will see true transformation,” Whorton said.
In addition, since its founding in 2017, Holdsworth has served 1,371 educators across 50 districts in more than 200 schools in Texas. Surveys also show 100 percent of superintendents surveyed rate their leadership pipeline as stronger after partnering with Holdsworth for at least three years.
To learn more about The Holdsworth Center click here.
