Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy

    Open to all South Dakota teachers with 5+ years of teaching experience

    The Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy offers teachers who have taught for five+ years an experience-based learning opportunity to further develop their educational leadership skills and explore administrative roles and responsibilities in schools. Teachers who successfully complete the course will earn three graduate credits. These can be applied toward an advanced degree in education.

    Courses will be taught by Professor of Practice faculty (qualified retired superintendents of schools) and guest speakers. Among other things, participants will:

    • Discover the areas of educational leadership that best fit them.
    • Gain insight into what educational leadership entails.
    • Learn about requirements for certification.
    • Better understand themselves and how to lead all personality types.
    • Develop strategies for building and maintaining effective teams.

    Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy will run during the 2023-2024 school year and will accept 60 participants.

    This academy is provided at NO COST to teachers, thanks to funding provided by the South Dakota Department of Education. School districts will be reimbursed for substitute teacher expenses and teacher travel/lodging costs. It is highly recommended that students establish a mentor relationship with an administrator in their district during the academy. If a mentor is selected, reimbursement to the school district of up to $500.00 may be provided for workload.

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    Questions? Please contact: k12leadershipacademy@sdbor.edu

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    Participant Information


    Focus on Four Core Areas of Leadership
    The program will focus on the following four core areas of leadership. Activities and learning outcomes will be built around these core areas.
      • Leading Self
      • Leading Others
      • Leading a Team
      • Leading with Purpose
    Book Reviews
    The class members will read, discuss, and learn from three leadership book reviews.

    DISC Personality Assessment
    Each class member will take a DISC personality assessment, and this assessment will be used throughout the program to identify the various leadership styles and how those styles are presented in the workplace.

    EQ-i (Emotional Intelligence) Assessment
    Each class member will take an EQ-i (Emotional Intelligence) Assessment to gain personal insight into the following areas and how to utilize this awareness to sustain, improve and capitalize where appropriate:
      • Self-awareness
      • Self-management
      • Social awareness
      • Motivation
      • Relationship management
    Public Speaking Experiences
    Each class member will be expected to participate in public speaking experiences in front of their class members on topics chosen by the facilitators.

    Goal Setting
    Each class member will be expected to complete class assignments and goal setting based on David Cottrell’s book, Tuesday Morning Coaching.

    Deeper Understanding of Concepts
    Each class member will also gain a greater understanding of concepts like:
      • Work & Life Balance
      • Professional Development Model
      • Change Cycle
      • Case Studies with leadership applications

    The participants will experience the following learning outcomes:

      • Discover the area of educational leadership that best fits them personally.

      • Gain insight into what educational leadership entails.

      • Better understand what the requirements are for certification.

      • Better understand themselves and understand how to lead when dealing with all four personality types.

      • Learn strategies on how to manage their personal and work lives to enhance their productivity.

      • Learn strategies to work more effectively with others in the workplace.

      • Learn strategies on how to build and maintain effective teams.

      • Learn how to identify key characteristics of current and future employees.

    The application for the 2023-2024 Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy will include the following:

     1. Online Application
      The online application will be open late Summer 2023. All applicants need to complete and submit all application materials. Please note that there are a few long-form questions that will need to be answered on your application, including:
        • Why are you interested in participating in the Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy?
        • What do you hope to accomplish through your participation in the Dakota Dreams Leadership Academy?
        • Who has been a mentor to you and how have they been influential in your life?
    2. Résumé
      A current résumé must be uploaded to the application.
    3. Supervisor and Mentor Approval Form
      A completed and signed Supervisor and Mentor Approval Form from your school is required with the application. This form attests that your school and mentor (if identified) understand and support the time commitment of your participation and the expenses that will be reimbursed to the school district.
    4. Letter of Reference
      One letter of reference must be uploaded to the application.


    Teachers who successfully complete the course will earn three graduate credits. These credits may be applied toward advanced degrees in education through the following universities:

     

    2023-2024 cLASS dATES AND lOCATIONS

    The 2023-2024 Dakota Dreams Teacher Leadership Academy will meet in two cohorts of 30 over three instructional days during the school year and over a three-day period in the summer. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants at no cost.

    Dates

    Location

    Cohort 1

    Cohort 2

     

    December 5, 2023

    December 6, 2023

    Northern State University, Aberdeen

    January 24, 2024

    January 24, 2024

    Dakota State University, Madison

    April 9, 2024

    April 10, 2024

    Black Hills State University, Spearfish

    June 18-20, 2024

    USD-Sioux Falls

    This opportunity is being administered by the South Dakota Board of Regents and funded with federal dollars available to the South Dakota Department of Education through the American Rescue Plan. 

     
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