School Empowerment Network

Wishing a restful and restorative Spring Break to all of our campus leaders, teachers, and students in Texas!

Prioritization is everything—especially as we head into the final stretch of the school year, but it's easier said than done! In a recent webinar, the team at Achievement Network (ANet) shared about the power of prioritization - you can see their 6 key takeaways here: https://lnkd.in/gnJwKxG8 Some things we're still chewing on were common pitfalls school leaders experience when attempting to prioritize: ?? Monitoring data without acting on it ?? Collecting too much data without a clear purpose ?? Failing to define who uses the data and for what ?? Treating priorities as linear when flexibility is often needed At School Empowerment Network (SEN), we help schools sharpen their focus—whether launching new models, strengthening instruction, or supporting leadership teams. The key isn’t just knowing what’s important, but ensuring the right actions follow. What are you prioritizing right now, and how are you avoiding these pitfalls? Are there others you’d add? #Education #SchoolLeadership #Prioritization #edchat #principalchat

A key practice we work with our Fellows in the New School Design Fellowship to implement is to deliver a "State of the School" presentation to staff midyear and at the end of the year. This powerful practice allows leaders to: ?? Re-orient their campus to their mission and vision ?? Share progress and celebrate wins ?? ?? Rally their teams around urgent needs and opportunities for growth Last week, Principal Isabel Justo of Dr. Green Montessori in El Paso Independent School District led her staff through their State of the School, creating a powerful moment of reflection, alignment, and motivation for her team! What practices do you think are critical for supporting mission-focused work at your school or the schools you support? Let’s share and learn from each other! ?? #SchoolLeadership #MissionDriven #NewSchoolDesign #StrongerSchools #EducationInnovation #principalchat

At SEN we believe that all children deserve choice-filled lives. That's why we're so excited to be partnering with Judson ISD to develop a robust career and college prep model at the new Woodlake Hills College Prep Middle School. The team is currently looking for an experienced Assistant Principal to lead academic and instructional gains for students and teachers. Apply today at the Judson site and please feel free to message me for details! (https://lnkd.in/dZQPhvS4)

?? Flashback Friday! ?? Looking back at our NSDF Winter Convening in San Antonio, Texas and one of the biggest highlights—our Leadership Showcases! These sessions are always so powerful because it's coming from current leaders in the field! ?? One standout moment was Dr. Falicia Tate, Principal of Crowley College Prep Elementary in Crowley Independent School District, presenting about her school's College and Career Model at the Elementary Level. Some takeaways: ?? Building confidence is key—and it happens through strong academics and authentic leadership experiences (yes, little ones CAN!). ?? Partner with families and communities—kids need to see it to be it! ?? Career and college exposure must start early—so students can dream big and achieve even bigger! Excited to keep learning from amazing school leaders who are shaping the future! ?? #FlashbackFriday #EducationLeadership #CollegeAndCareerReady #EarlyExposure #StrongerSchools #LeadershipInAction Want to know more about how to implement a strong College and Career Model? Check out our playbook: https://lnkd.in/gj85mSEg

?? Exciting News! ?? We are thrilled to have kicked off our Early Childhood Education Community of Practice yesterday, made possible by a generous grant from the The Moody Foundation! ?? Together with school leaders from VICTORIA ISD, Hempstead ISD, and Ector County ISD, we are focused on bringing strong, evidence-based instruction to our youngest learners. We are so grateful to the school teams that we highlighted in our ECE Playbook—Farias ECC in Houston ISD and YES Prep Public Schools Airline —for hosting us so that we could see their great work in action. By equipping school leaders and teachers with the tools they need, we’re laying a powerful foundation for Texas children to thrive and take on the world! ??? This is just the beginning—our work continues through ongoing professional development and school-based coaching. Stay tuned for more updates as we support these incredible educators in shaping the future! #EarlyChildhoodEducation #SchoolLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #TexasEducation #MoodyFoundation #StrongerSchools Want to learn more? Check out the ECE Playbook we wrote with TEA: https://lnkd.in/gGf5Eb8H

Sometimes coaching looks like leading PD! Coach Jamie Heilingoetter saw a need, developed some targeted PD, and will now coach and support the amazing Kirby STEM team to successfully enact these strategies across the campus.

?? We're Hiring! ?? School Empowerment Network (SEN) is looking for a Texas Early Childhood Project Program Director (Part-time) to join our team! This is an exciting opportunity to shape a new program focused on strengthening early childhood instruction and leadership in Texas public schools. Thanks to a three-year grant from the Moody Foundation, we are partnering with three Texas school districts to: ? Codify their early childhood models in alignment with the science of early learning ? Lead professional development and on-site coaching for PK3 & PK4 educators to implement research-based instructional strategies This role is perfect for you if you love: ?? Little learners! This project is all about PK3 & PK4 students. ?? Designing high-quality adult learning and professional development. ?? The science of learning, cognitive load, and deepening meaning. ?? Countering preschool fadeout by driving long-term impact. ?? Coaching school leaders on observation, feedback, and data-driven instruction. ?? Program design—helping to build and refine a new initiative. ?? Collaboration—working as part of a dynamic four-person team. In this role, you will: ?? Lead coaching and development cycles for at least one Texas school district ?? Drive the Project Leadership work stream Required Experience: ?? School Leadership: Experience as a school principal or early childhood director with demonstrated results. Experience in Texas is a plus. ?? Leader Development: Experience mentoring, managing, or coaching other school leaders or early childhood directors—whether as an experienced school leader supporting others or in a formal leadership role (e.g., Head of Schools). ?? Interested candidates, review the full job description: https://lnkd.in/gaGiMJ8a And, apply here: https://lnkd.in/gkJwH6g4 Let’s build something great together! #hiring #earlychildhoodeducation #instructionalleadership #educationjobs #TexasSchools #SchoolEmpowermentNetwork

Last week, we had the privilege of gathering with our New School Design Fellows from across all three years of the fellowship in San Antonio! ?? For our Planning Year Fellows, the focus was on designing strong plans for curriculum implementation, leveraging meaningful internalization processes to deepen student learning, and building effective staffing models. Our Continuation Year Fellows' experience was tailored to their needs, with sessions on Pedagogy, Curriculum, and Teacher Support & Supervision. Every fellow engaged in a talent strategy session, and we were especially inspired by the presentations from Cohort members Kim Barg (MLK at Gates, San Antonio ISD), Falicia Tate (Crowley College Prep Elementary, Crowley Independent School District) and Yvonne Valdez (Brown Elementary, Lubbock ISD) showcasing the incredible work happening on their campuses. What a joy to be in a room full of such engaged, thoughtful, and audacious leaders! The passion and commitment to creating transformative learning experiences for students is truly inspiring. Thank you, Texas Education Agency and the SAF team, for supporting this transformational learning! We can't wait for our Summer Convening—the work continues! ?? #NewSchoolDesign #SchoolEmpowerment #TransformingEducation #principalchat #instructionalleadership

?? Leaders leading Leaders! ?? Today at the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Midwinter Conference our teammate Jamie Heilingoetter and Principal (NSDF Alum!) Tiffany Absher from VICTORIA ISD presented about the great work happening at Smith STEM Elementary, focused on improving special education instruction and student outcomes. Thank you, Principal Absher and Jamie, for sharing your brilliance and important work with other Texas leaders. ?? #TASAMidwinter #TASA2025