KIPP Academy Lynn schools opened their doors on Friday, March 20th to welcome aspiring superintendents from across the state as part of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Influence 100 program. The program aims to increase the diversity of superintendents across the Commonwealth to better match student demographics, and leads fellows through an intensive two-year fellowship centered on training and development. This is all done with an equity lens and a focus on how that ideally lives in the work of districts and schools.
The program also includes a series of site visits, and KIPP Academy Lynn was proud to be the first charter public school to be experienced by the program’s fellows. Visitors had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the work of KIPP for one day by meeting with district administrators or by visiting one of KIPP Academy Lynn’s three campuses (KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary, KIPP Academy Lynn Middle, and KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate) depending on their cohort. As organizers of the group framed the day, they encouraged fellows to treat their time on site as “a lab,” and to use it as an opportunity to explore, ask questions, and think deeply about their own work in preparation for becoming district leaders.
The visitors weren’t the only ones to benefit from the visit, as KIPP staff had the opportunity to think critically about their work and hear reflections from the fellows as to how aligned the regional vision seemed to be with the experience of schools on the ground. They were left with strengths and questions/wonderings to help inform their work moving forward.
Across the day, learnings were exchanged, connections were built, and individuals were left with a new and unique vantage point, all in the name of strengthening educational experiences for all Massachusetts students. The goal was to take what was experienced and apply it in other contexts, and so in many ways the learning has only just begun.
