Texas Border Business
SAN JUAN, Texas– Five Principal Residents participating in the PSJA Principal Residency Program in partnership with Texas Tech University got to present some of their work to district leaders and their professors as part of a Principal Showcase held, March 9, 2022.
The longtime educators are currently immersed in an intensive leadership program made possible by a grant of up to $350,000 from the Texas Education Agency allowing them the opportunity to earn a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Principal Certification from Texas Tech University. PSJA ISD was one of only 14 school districts in the state to receive this grant, which is aligned with the district’s goal of growing its own leaders to continue the exemplary academic work the district is known for.
“The teachers have been taking all the coursework to get their master’s degree and having the opportunity to be mentored by a high-performing PSJA ISD principal,” said Assistant Superintendent of Human Capital Development Dr. Rebeca Garza. “It’s been a great opportunity to support our educators and provide them with on-the-job training. Completing a masters and principal certification within a year is very intensive. We are very proud of them.”
The Principal Residency Grant provides an opportunity for the school districts to increase the number of well prepared, diverse instructional leaders, ready to assume campus leadership positions when they become available. Texas Tech University serves as the district’s Educator Preparation Program (EPP) partner, which provides participants with courses focused on best practices in campus leadership, including instructional leadership with Texas Tech program faculty serving as a mentor.
“We had the privilege of selecting from among the best educators across the district,” said Dr. Fernando Valle who is serving as the Texas Tech University Faculty Coach for the PSJA Principal Residency Program. “The residency program places them in the most challenging environment, which is running a school in real-time with real students, real teachers, parents and data. Getting to see them navigate that and grow their skills and competencies is a very rewarding experience.”
The following five educators are currently part of the program: Alicia Flores from Chavez Elementary; Vianey Villegas from Garcia Elementary; Jennifer Monroy from LBJ Middle School; Mariam Jimenez from Raul Yzaguirre Middle School; and Audrey Elizondo-Audie Murphy Middle School.
“This has been a very intensive program. We are on campus getting administrative duties as we complete our coursework. We are getting to experience in real time what it means to be an administrator and getting everything, we possibly can from the experience,” said Audry Elizondo a Principal Resident currently serving at Audie Murphy Middle School in Alamo. “I feel extremely honored for this opportunity, getting this internship and learning from administrators on campus is something that you can’t learn from books.”
