Cleburne ISD is among 17 districts from across the state to be selected to join the Holdsworth Leadership Collaborative, a multi-year initiative to assist public school systems in identifying and establishing a pipeline of master educators ready for campus leadership.

            “We are very excited to have been extended this opportunity,” said Dr. Chris Jackson, assistant superintendent of Data, Research and School Improvement. “This reflects our efforts to make an investment in the leadership capacity within CISD. Over the next 18 months we will be developing strategies and an action plan to identify, recruit and develop our teachers who want to expand their efforts to serve students in campus leadership roles..”

Last fall, CISD applied for admission to the leadership collaborative, provided through The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based non-profit focused on building strong leadership for Texas public schools. The Holdsworth Center was founded by Charles Butt, chairman of H-E-B. The district received word in November that it had been named a semifinalist in the selection process.

            “We had the support of the Board of Trustees from the start in seeking this opportunity,” Jackson said.  “We were hopeful of this outcome when we were notified that we were advancing in what has been an extensive interview process.”

Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of The Holdsworth Center, said Cleburne ISD was among the districts selected because of the priorities it has in developing leadership.

                 “Cleburne ISD demonstrated a strong commitment to developing principals, and a growth mindset around learning new concepts,” Whorton said. “Great leaders draw out the best in people and inspire them to achieve the unimaginable. Every student in Cleburne ISD deserves a strong principal at the helm of their school.”

            Among the districts selected for the Leadership Development Collaborative are Abilene, Belton, Canutillo, Crosby, Edgewood, Edinburg, Liberty Hill, Midlothian, New Caney, San Antonio, Texarkana, San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated ISD, the Midland and Ector County ISDs and Hobbs and Carlsbad ISDs in New Mexico.

“Dr. Kristi Rhone, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, our new superintendent, and myself, will be working with the Holdsworth staff to define what great leadership looks like within our district,” Jackson said. “We will use this definition to design systems and structures in creating a pathway to the principal’s office. I am looking forward to collaborating with the other districts in this cohort to learn best practices they utilize in identifying and working with teachers who are considering campus administration.”

“What we learn will be used in shaping what this will look like in Cleburne ISD, and in our work with future campus and district leaders.”

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 outsized.

Since its founding in 2017, Holdsworth has served 1,371 educators across 50 districts in more than 200 schools in Texas.

“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.