Leadership Development Programs 2026-2027

Launch

Program Duration: One Year
Program Manager: Paige Johns
Participants: Teacher leaders wishing to learn more about leadership development
Number of Participants Served: 40 teachers, two Executive coaches

Program Overview

Launch builds teachers leadership capacity by providing professional learning grounded in the understanding of change and developing leadership skills to support teacher leadership development, whether that be moving into a formal leadership pathway or continuing to grow as a teacher leader, department chair, mentor, and master classroom teacher.

Thrive

Program Duration: Two Years
Program Manager: Celeste Murray
Participants: District, School, and teachers wanting to learn more about observation and feedback coaching cycles
Number of Participants Served: 50 leaders , Community of Practice

Program Overview

Designed to support leaders in developing and implementing a successful and robust system for Observation, Feedback, and Coaching Cycles (OFCCs) learning more about the role of:

• The Foundations of Coaching
• Before, During and After the Observation
• Effective Feedback
• Instructional Priorities
• Delivering Feedback
• Observation Data

Climb

Program Duration: One Year
Program Manager: Paige Johns
Participants: K-12 sitting Instructional Coaches
Number of Participants Served: 35 Sitting Instructional Coaches

Program Overview

Designed to support Instructional Coaches with the foundations of coaching through interactive learning focusing on core values, building relationships, and goal setting, Coaching Foundations and the power of Observation and Feedback Cycles.

RISE

Program Manager: Elisabeth Peterson
Participants: Principals
Number of Participants Served: 50 School Leaders per cohort

Program Overview

RISE was created for school leaders who are ready to move beyond managing change to leading meaningful, sustainable school improvement. This executive-level professional learning experience brings together a select cohort of principals and leadership teams from across New Mexico to strengthen leadership practice, build organizational capacity, and improve outcomes for every student. School improvement is never the work of one person. It requires a shared vision, strong relationships, and a leadership team that is equipped to navigate complexity together. RISE is designed to help you build that capacity.

Throughout the program, you and your team will engage in collaborative learning centered on evidence-based leadership practices, organizational change, and continuous improvement. Together, you will strengthen your ability to:

• Lead sustainable school improvement with confidence and clarity.
• Build a high-functioning leadership team that shares responsibility for success.
• Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Use data strategically to inform decisions and accelerate student learning.
• Navigate complex challenges while maintaining focus on student outcomes.
• Develop practical systems that strengthen your school long after the program concludes.

New this year, participants will engage in Communities of Practice designed to foster meaningful dialogue, collaborative problem-solving, and peer-to-peer learning with fellow instructional leaders. Rather than being assigned an individual Performance Coach, you will learn alongside a network of colleagues, sharing experiences, best practices, and strategies that support growth throughout the year. We are excited to learn with you and build a strong Community of Practice together.

SOAR

Program Manager: Elisabeth Peterson
Participants: Superintendents and District Level Team Members
Number of Participants Served: Up to 35 districts

Program Overview

SOAR has been designed to support Superintendents and district leadership teams. The program aims to support teams identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in five key areas:

1. Equity and Culture
2. Leadership
3. Instructional Infrastructure
4. Talent Management
5. Support and Accountability

Priority Schools Bureau Professional Learning

Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Training (CSSLE)

Program Manager: Regina Timms
Participants: Open statewide

Program Overview

In this one-day training participants will be able to:

• Identify the purpose and process of Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments through examining the basic parts of the function of the brain and how those manifest behavior and adverse experiences.
• Examine how the three Rs—Regulate Relate and Reason—impact student learning.
• Discuss differences between regulation and dysregulation.
• Compare traditional reactions to safe and supportive responses that are restorative, and trauma informed.
• Identify how culture and bias influence our perceptions of how we respond and react.
• Identify the significance of student voice and agency.

NM School DASH Annual and 90-Day Plans; NM School DASH LEA Certification; NM School DASH Annual, Spring and Fall Monitoring

Program Team: All PSB Team Members
Participants: All New Mexico Schools and Charters

Program Overview

The New Mexico Public Education Department (NM PED) strives to ensure that every student is successful in their future college, career, or civic endeavors by building capacity for educators statewide to sustain improvement and close achievement gaps.

The department brings this vision to life through NM School DASH — a framework for evidence-based planning, implementation, and monitoring processes for schools. Informed by thorough research and statewide input from school and district leaders, NM School DASH model inspires change by facilitating a straightforward course of action for New Mexico educators.

The framework identifies key resources to support the change process; documents critical offline planning, implementation, and monitoring activities; and informs substantive collaborative data-based conversations.

The NM School DASH Process Guide for the 2024-2025 SY will be differentiated to support schools in designation.

By supporting a common, consistent approach to improvement plans, NM School DASH allows for a scalable approach to improvement plans, encourages a laser-like focus on improving student outcomes, and cultivates a growth mindset amongst educators.