Minnesota Principals Academy
Providing Minnesota principals with action-based professional development since 2006
Despite the importance of the principalship and the demands that are placed on principals today, relatively few principals receive ongoing professional development that enhances their ability to lead schools to high performance. The Minnesota Principals Academy fills that gap by bringing to Minnesota the research-based program of the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL), an initiative of the Washington, D.C.-based National Center on Education and the Economy. The NISL executive development program was developed over six years with major support from national foundations and is being used to provide leadership development for school principals nationwide.
Using the NISL program, the Minnesota Principals Academy enables cohorts of practicing principals to put leadership best practices from education, business, military, and other fields to work on behalf of their students and schools. Delivered in two and three-day segments over the course of one year, the curriculum combines face-to-face instruction in workshops, seminars, and study groups with interactive Web-based learning.
Our goal? To create a statewide network of district and charter school leaders who are motivated and have the skills to create and sustain schools in which all students are on the path to college readiness by the end of high school.
Background
The Minnesota Principals Academy was created in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association, the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, and the University of Minnesota. Participant registration fees are supported through funding from the Minnesota Legislature and participant districts. Since 2013, the Academy has been based in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development (OLPD) in the College of Education and Human Development.
An Academy participant presents their Action Learning Project to an audience of MPA peers.
(Photo credit: Jairus Davis, CEHD)
Past Participants Say...
In an independent evaluation, 81% of participants said the Principals Academy was "excellent" compared to other leadership development programs, and all said it changed their professional practice (CAREI). Minnesota principals reported in an independent survey that assistance in driving change in their schools is the #1 reason they would participate in a leadership development program (CSOM).
“The Minnesota Principals Academy is the best professional development I have ever been a part of.”
“Life changing. I wish this was a mandatory experience for all principals to participate in.”
“The most transformative professional development that I have ever received. The work was thought-provoking and whatever you put into it, you took out of it. The collaboration with other principals has been instrumental in my growth and Katie along with the guest facilitators care about our success. I hope one day to pay that forward myself.”
“Hands down, it was one of the best professional development opportunities I’ve been a part of. Slowing down and taking time to THINK about education, its history and where we are today, instructional research, and what it takes to make transformational change was worth all the days away from the district, as going forward I know all of my future decisions will be grounded in ‘what does the research say’ and ‘how will I evaluate if what we’re doing is effective.’ Simple concepts, but concepts not always regularly practiced in education.”
“Pivotal to my future. It filled each and every blind spot and hole in my prior training. BOSA is one thing – and has 99 things – but this program is the lifeblood for future growth and a learning mindset. The colleagues and relationships that I’ve gained are the bridge to my future as well. The collective thinking and learning that we did is the inspiration by which I will continue to believe I can live and do this important work. The opportunity cost seemed high (two days out of the building each month) – but it was worth it in the investment in future learning and thinking.”
“The Minnesota Principals Academy is the best professional development for principals – there is no equal. The time given and the depth of the learning creates a foundation to have a profound effect on education.”
"it’s really action-oriented. It’s not just sit-and-get. From day one, you are getting things that will help your school.”
“The Minnesota Principals Academy was the best professional development that I have received in my eleven years as an elementary principal. The ability to network and share ideas with colleagues working in the field has been invaluable in my continued growth as the instructional leader in my school.”
"By far the best professional development that I have ever done as an educational leader. I wish I would have done it ten years ago—honestly, I wish I would have been exposed to many of the topics when I was still teaching. I know MPA will make me a better educational leader in the future."
“The depth of knowledge of the facilitators and the director is unbelievable. Their knowledge is rooted in and scaffolded upon research-based practices in education. There is no doubt in my mind I am a better educator and administrator as a result of this academy.”
“The Principals Academy has provided me the most rigorous and relevant learning experience I’ve experienced as a principal. As a rural Minnesota principal who experiences regional limitations to professional development, our cohort has stretched my thinking and positively pushed my practice of leading—best professional growth in my career!”
“The Minnesota Principals Academy is unique because it is geared towards ALL aspects of the work we do as principals. It gives us the time and space to learn, collaborate with colleagues, implement new learning at our buildings, and come back to reflect. No other professional development has the continuity that allows for the learning, implementation and the building of professional relationships like MPA does.”
2025-2027 Twin Cities and Mankato Cohorts
We intend to launch two new cohorts of the Minnesota Principals Academy in the summer or early fall of 2025. One cohort will take place in the Twin Cities and one will take place in Mankato. The application deadline for the Twin Cities cohort has passed. If you’re interested in applying for the Mankato cohort, you can do so on this page using the application below.
- Mankato cohort applications are due on or before June 16, 2025.
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato Area Cohort Application Deadline: June 16, 2025
Cost
The cost of the program is $7,000/participant. Currently, half of that cost is covered for public school leaders through legislative funding appropriated to the Minnesota Department of Education. The remaining $3,500 is paid over two fiscal years, leaving each participant’s district responsible for $1,750 per year. This legislative funding is expected to continue through 2027.
Selection Factors
Applicants must have:
- Leadership responsibility for an entire school or program (principal, assistant principal, special education director, etc.)
- If assistant principal, exercised responsibility for instructional programming (beyond student discipline)
- An interest in improving as an instructional leader and improving academic outcomes for students
- A commitment to leading a Minnesota school/program for at least 3 more years
Application
By applying, applicants agree to seek Superintendent or supervisor approval to attend all 28 days of content, pay the $3500 program fee over two academic years, and engage in the culminating Action Learning Project.
Cost and Funding
Participant cost is $1750 per academic year. The actual cost of the program is $7000/participant. Currently, half of that cost is covered for public school leaders through legislative funding appropriated to the MDE. We are optimistic that this will continue through 2027.
Schedule
The cohorts meet about every 6- 8 weeks for two-day sessions during the week over the course of 18-24 months. There are on average 6 days of meetings in the summer. Examples of current schedules can be viewed here.
Content
The two-day units cover a comprehensive look at the improvements of schools through a standards-aligned instructional system. While the unit topics and detailed curriculum overview can be found here, highlights of the program include: international bench-marking; strategic thinking; a standards based instructional system framework; the content areas of mathematics, science, literacy, and history; ELL; racial equity; data and assessment; teacher evaluation and coaching; professional development and team building, change; and program evaluation.
Expected Outcomes
In addition to the collaborative learning that takes place in the Academy, each participant completes an Action Learning Project where they analyze a problem of practice in their context, develop a strategy for improvement, and evaluate that improvement strategy for its intended objective in order to make continued improvement.
Facilitators / Instructors
The program is run by the University of Minnesota’s Executive Director of Educational Leadership, and sessions are facilitated by the Principal in Residence and practicing school and district leaders in Minnesota who have gone through the program and are certified by the National Institute of School Leadership and the University of Minnesota.