Introduction
The Center for Educational Leadership area teachers to learn the latest curricular and
(CEL) brings together the resources of Trinity pedagogical innovations. This Report provides
University, 21 member school districts, and descriptions of the 2008 Understanding by
corporate and civic partners in a comprehensive Design (UbD) and Critical Friends Groups
collaboration to improve schools in our (CFG) summer activities. Over the last three
community. The school district members of the years, the CEL has enabled significant expansion
Center comprise nearly 600 schools with more of the activities of the Principals’ Center. In
than 300,000 students and 28,000 teachers. 2008, more than 350 principals participated in
Each member of Trinity’s education department a range of programs designed to increase their
works on CEL initiatives; the expertise of other knowledge and strengthen their leadership skills.
faculty and visiting scholars also enhance Programs included: again, a Speakers’ Series that
its thinking. brought several experts in school leadership to
The districts are a cross-section of San San Antonio; four peer-sharing networks that
Antonio. They are urban, suburban and rural. enabled principals to examine and improve
They are as large as Northside with more than their efforts to improve student achievement; a
80,000 students and as small as Lackland with series of developmental workshops to enhance
fewer than 1,000. They have diverse racial and the abilities of assistant principals to confront
ethnic populations—58 percent Hispanic, 33 successfully the challenges of leadership; a
percent Anglo, seven percent African American Courage to Lead series of weekend workshops
and two percent Asian and Native American. that helped principals to focus clearly on
The Center initiates and supports extensive the core values and beliefs underlying their
outreach efforts to area schools and educators. commitments to children’s growth; and a
Some of these have a long history. Over the past communications workshop that taught skills
30 years, for example, The Saturday Morning essential in holding difficult conversations. This
Experience Program (SME) has provided report provides more detailed descriptions of
workshops for up to 125 gifted and talented these and other activities.
students each year from member school district A critical local need is to provide well-
schools. These enrichment programs bring trained, new campus leaders for the many
children in grades 1-8 to the Trinity campus openings that occur each year in area schools not
where they are taught by Trinity students using only because of resignations and retirements but
Trinity resources and facilities. In addition also because of growth of student populations
to sponsoring the program, the Center that leads to new schools. The CEL has
offers scholarships for the program so that responded to the need by providing scholarships
socioeconomically disadvantaged children of 50 percent or more of tuition to students
can participate. from member districts in the Tomorrow’s
The Gifted and Talented Consortium has Leaders program, Trinity’s nationally recognized
sponsored an annual speakers series for G&T and award-winning two-year master’s degree
teachers for the last 29 years. The series brings program for aspiring principals.
leading edge scholars and practitioners in The participation of local districts in the
Gifted and Talented Education to San Antonio Center for Educational Leadership’s programs is
each year. strong evidence of the strength and effectiveness
The Center also continuously offers new of the partnership between Trinity and local
outreach programs to support the work of schools. This report gives a brief description
local educators. In recent years, the Center has of the programs under the CEL umbrella and
initiated Summer Institutes each year that enable highlights our recent accomplishments.
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