The Homegrown Hub

What is Homegrown?

At Teach For America Massachusetts, the term Homegrown refers to a corps member or an alum that is from the community that we serve. More specifically, the educator’s educational experiences mirror those of our students. While we specifically serve the communities of Lawrence, Salem, Chelsea, Lynn, Boston, Springfield, Holyoke, Fall River and New Bedford, we also consider educators that are from similar communities (i.e. Revere, Fitchburg, Framingham, etc.) to be homegrown.

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Instructional Leadership

How to build up your instructional leadership skills:

Become a CM/A at Institute this summer
Ask if you can mentor a new teacher this/next school year
Seek an in-school leadership opportunity, such as a grade-level chair or department head position, where you will learn more about coaching and adult management
Talk to your principal about what it would take for you to be a ‘Master’ teacher - then, create a plan to improve your skills and student outcomes and demonstrate your instructional expertise
Pursue professional development opportunities that build your content and pedagogy expertise, such as those offered by NCTM or Facing History and Ourselves
Apply to a Fellowship or other opportunity where you can build teaching skills outside your school, such as the Sontag Prize.

Once you’ve built strong skills in this area, you may consider pursuing a formal leadership role as a coach, DCI, department chair, or assistant principal.

How to build up your instructional leadership skills:

Culture Leadership

How to build up your culture leadership skills:

Co-create behavior plans for your students with your Dean of Students
Prioritize building deep relationships with students and families through calls home (don’t forget positive calls!), and co-create support plans for students with their guardians
Work with colleagues to help plan culture building programs, such as community meetings, incentive events, field trips, etc.
Start an extracurricular that specifically enhances your school culture or student voice, or builds up the leadership of students in your school
Spend a free period in the Dean’s office and ask the Dean how you can provide support to students

Once you’ve built strong skills in this area, you may consider pursuing a formal leadership role as a dean of culture/students or assistant principal.

Operations Leadership

How to build up your operations leadership skills:

Become a School Operations Manager, Operations Director, or other Operations position at Institute this summer
Talk with your school’s Operations point person (Director of Operations, Assistant Principal, Operations Coordinator) to learn more about their job responsibilities
Seek an in-school leadership opportunity, such as a grade-level chair role, where you will learn more about laterally managing peers and setting agendas
Offer to support in the logistics for events at your school, such as a school dance or art show
If you’re at a charter school, join the family recruitment team and get to know families in your neighborhood who may apply to the school lottery

Once you’ve built strong skills in this area, you may consider pursuing a formal leadership role as an operations coordinator/director.

Principal

Want to become a principal?

Knowledge and experience in all three types of school leadership are important to becoming a strong principal. While all mid-level leadership roles are equally critical to the success of a school, instructional leadership is often considered fundamental to the principal role. So, if you have become a strong culture leader, make sure to find opportunities to develop your instructional leadership skills so you can bring those to the principalship. Once in a mid-level leader role, you can pursue a direct promotion into a principal role, or pursue a School Leadership Program that gives you a license and additional experience before seeking a principal role. Take a look here at several popular School Leadership Programs in Massachusetts.

As a note - to become an administrator (principal, dean, AP, coach) in a district school, you will most likely need an administrative license. You can earn this through a School Leadership Program or by completing the required tasks and supervised internship on your own. For more information about licenses, check out the Licensure page.

If you're looking for information on School Leadership Programs, please check out this page!