Supporting Leadership At All Levels: A NESA Presentation

Walter Basnight Secondary Learning Coach

In October 2022 at the NESA Fall Leadership Conference, we, Joelle Basnight, Mary Kelly Bello, and Walter Basnight presented an hour-long workshop to a group of 40+ NESA-wide educators. The presentation was part of a NESA learning series titled ‘Sharing the Journey’. The purpose of the series was for NESA schools to share their stories of the last three years of disruption and change. Presentations ranged from mental health, global citizenship, and sustainability, redefining diversity, to school operations, and differentiating

Mary Kelly Bello Curriculum Director

ways to provide leadership training and support.

Designing an engaging, interactive, and informative presentation, especially when the length of the session was limited to 60 minutes, was indeed challenging. There are so many strong aspects of the leadership system that we had to think through what aspects might be most relevant and transferable to a wide range of participants. As we brainstormed, narrowed, created, and refined our narrative we also had the opportunity to reflect on instruction with mastery learning. We shared our journey of cultivating leadership capacities at AISC.

Our presentation, Systems & Structures to Cultivate Leadership At All Levels: Our Journey outlined the updated leadership structures created in spring 2021 and implemented the following fall. The structures were designed to support leadership development at every level of the school. Whether facilitation training for members of the Instructional Leadership Team, consultancy for members of the Leadership Team, or mentorship for Council Leads, each team and its interrelationship was intentionally defined, created, and nurtured. We chose to share this innovation with our NESA colleagues as many schools are actively looking for the structures themselves. This led us to discover a number of areas in need of refinement. We were honored to be invited to share our journey to date and to preview that our journey, like most, is ongoing.

As we do with our students, conference organizers aim to provide a range of choices for educators. Therefore, we did not know how many participants we would have. When all the seats were taken and the room continued to fill up, It became clear that the work we are doing is highly relevant to schools in the NESA region. As participants engaged in conversations about how they might take what we shared about our journey and transfer it into their own unique context, the buzz in the room was inspiring. These conversations continued through the conference as we were approached by participants who requested further information and a desire to connect in the future.

Beyond presenting, there are many values to attending such a conference. Because we attended with members of the AISC Leadership Team and Board members we were able to learn together through keynote presentations and consider how our learning applies to our context. In addition, we chose presentations relevant to our roles at AISC which made for an excellent opportunity for professional development around best practices, effective programs, and initiatives. Perhaps one of the most energizing elements was connecting with other schools in the NESA region to develop professional networks and learn about their experiences. Schools around the region, similar to AISC, are working to implement many innovative practices and thus provide examples of what might be possible.

The process of preparing and presenting the story of our journey to develop leadership at all levels at AISC was a meaningful learning experience. Being able to share our work and connect with other educators was both validating and empowering. We look forward to future learning opportunities.

Hearing about the importance of growing leaders at all levels within the school allowed me to envision how we might follow suit at our school. When we got back to AES, we suggested that professional learning together become a part of our leadership team meetings. It has opened the door for greater vulnerability and interdependence amongst our divisional leaders.

Diane Ajamian Teaching & Learning Coordinator

American Embassy School, New Delhi

I was so impressed that AISC provides so much diversity in leadership opportunities. This speaks to a true commitment towards inclusive practices, shared decision making and developing school leaders.

Rachael Leibel Curriculum Director The American International School of Muscat

It was lovely to see the evolution of leadership and the support structure for leaders from when I was in Chennai several years ago, and to see that it’s matured and grown through challenging times. It still has the same ethos and focus on the growth of everyone in the organization.

Kirsten Welbes Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel