Empowering the Leaders of Our Future Workforce
Through the Kentucky Chamber Foundation's Leadership Institute for School Principals Program, in partnership with Truist
By providing professional leadership training to principals across Kentucky, the business community is empowering principals to lead high-performing schools that prepare students for future success. The Kentucky Chamber Foundation's Leadership Institute for School Principals Program, in partnership with the Truist Leadership Institute, is transforming Kentucky's educational landscape by equipping principals with essential leadership skills.
Research has shown that effective leaders have a positive impact on student and school performance. Through this program, the Foundation aims to give principals the tools to ensure students are achieving at the highest possible levels and have the best foundation for success in their careers. As effective leaders, principals can have a lasting impact on their staff and students. They create an environment that empowers everyone to be the best version of themselves and fosters productive collaborators, empowered learners, and creative contributors for the future workforce. Through the training provided by Truist, the principal participants take valuable insights back to their schools, where they foster durable skills in students, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. While in the program, principals develop their vision statement for the year. These vision statements become a guiding force for them as they return to their schools and keeps them focused on improving their schools and their relationships with their staff. An example of a vision statement “I will cultivate my community through embracing vulnerability and viewing conflict as a chance for growth.”
Building on its demonstrated success in developing business leaders, Truist Leadership Institute has customized a program to meet the specific leadership development needs of school principals. The program is delivered using a blended approach that immerses participants in a learning experience focusing on raising leader’s self-awareness, developing conscious leadership practices, and improving skills critical to individual, team, and organizational performance.
Throughout twelve years of the program, the Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals has invested over $3.6 million to train over 500 elementary, middle, and high school principals, impacting over 105 counties and 274,000 students in Kentucky. Today, school districts across the Commonwealth have seen effective outcomes from the programming.
Lyon County High School Principal Thomas Radivonyk reflects on the program's impact, stating, “As principals, we often focus on others' issues, neglecting our self-improvement. This program has helped me introspect and enhance my leadership skills.”
Eighteen Henderson County Schools principals have participated in the program since 2011. Each of these principals has grown in their leadership skills and facilitated improvements within their respective schools, which has led to noteworthy increases in student achievement and has resulted in further academic excellence. Across five schools led by Leadership Institute graduates, the average math scores increased by nearly 20 percentage points in two years. Reading scores saw a more significant increase, at 23 percentage points, from 2021 to 2023. Two of the schools, Cairo Elementary School and Spottsville Elementary School, earned Blue Ribbon distinctions in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
Joel Hopper, former Leadership Institute Board of Managers Co-Chair and Henderson County business leader, emphasized the community's collective commitment to providing leadership training. 'In 2010, our business community in Henderson recognized the need for powerful leadership training for school principals. The Leadership Institute has consistently delivered transformational training, validated by countless testimonials and empirical evidence showing improved student achievement in schools led by program graduates. This initiative continues to positively impact our schools in Henderson County,' Hopper stated.