The NC State Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) provides an innovative principal preparation program that is preparing school leaders to improve student achievement in rural, low-performing schools. The program places graduates as principals and assistant principals, many in their first leadership roles. Data shows that after one year, schools with NELA graduates increased the percentage of students scoring at or above grade level, despite research showing new principals typically face declines. The rigorous program provides authentic, field-based training unlike traditional programs. It has been recognized nationally for its success in developing leaders who can dramatically turn around student outcomes.

1.
NC State’s Northeast Leadership Academy
“There are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around
without intervention by a powerful leader” (Leithwood, et al. 2004).
NC State’s Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) serves Bertie, Edgecombe, Franklin,
Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Nash-Rocky Mount, Northampton, Roanoke Rapids,
Vance, Warren, Washington, and Weldon City but is nationally recognized for its innovation and
quality. In 2014, NELA was selected by the University Council for Educational Administration
(UCEA) to receive its Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation Program Award
(one of only two programs nationally to receive this distinction). The UCEA is a consortium of the
nation’s leading leadership preparation programs and is committed to advancing the preparation and
practice of educational leaders. Its Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation Program Award
was established to celebrate exemplary programs and encourage their development.
Since the first NELA cohort graduated in 2012, we have 13 Principals, 34 Assistant Principals and 8
graduates in other leadership roles. NELA graduates are making rapid school improvements. Table
1 below compares composite test scores for schools with NELA graduates as principals after one
year (pre-post comparison).
Table 2 below compares composite test scores for schools with NELA graduates as assistant
principals after one year (pre-post comparison).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
School
A
School
B
School
C
School
D
School
E
School
F
Percentage
of
Students
Scoring
at
or
Above
Level
3
Table
1:
NELA
Principals'
School
Achievement
Data
for
EOG/EOCs
2012-­‐2013
(Pre
NELA
Principal)
2013-­‐2014
(With
NELA
Principal)

2.
Rapid
Improvements
and
Beating
the
Odds
The student achievement gains of the NELA principals are particularly impressive when you
take into account the research on time to turnaround and the effects of a novice principal on
student achievement. First, research shows it takes approximately five years to put a teaching
staff in place as well as fully implement policies and practices that will positively impact the
school’s performance,1
yet the NELA principals all documented notable improvements during
their first year.
Second, principal turnover has significant negative effects on the achievement of students
attending high poverty schools2
. Research indicates that gains in student achievement in math are
lower when a school has a new principal and the negative effect of new principals on student
achievement is especially large when schools have a first time new principal (one without prior
experience at other schools).3
The negative relationship between principal turnover (having a
new principal) and achievement is stronger in failing schools, high poverty schools, and schools
with more novice teachers (all of which are characteristics of the schools led by NELA
principals).4
Students in failing, high poverty schools with high concentrations of novice teachers
have reading and math achievement that is .02-.06 standard deviations lower in years when they
have a new principal.
1
Seashore-Louis, et al. (2010)
2
Béteille,
Kalogrides,
&
Loeb
(2012).
3
All
the
NELA
principals
were
first
time
new
principals
4
Béteille,
Kalogrides,
&
Loeb
(2012)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
School
A
School
B
School
C
School
D
School
E
School
F
School
G
School
H
School
I
School
J
School
K
School
L
School
M
School
N
School
O
School
P
School
Q
School
R
School
S
School
T
School
U
School
V
School
W
School
X
School
Y
School
Z
School
AA
Percentage
of
Students
Scoring
at
orAbove
Level
3
Table
2:
NELA
Assistant
Principals'
School
Achievement
Data
for
EOGs/EOCs
2012-­‐2013
(Pre
NELA
AP)
2013-­‐2014
(With
NELA
AP)

3. The achievements of the NELA principals are particularly impressive when viewed with this
research in mind. Typically, new principals experience a dip in scores, yet all the NELA
principals had improvements in student achievement scores.
All NELA Principals Improved Student Performance…
But First Year Principals of Other National Programs Experience Performance Dips
New York City Leadership
Academy’s New Principal
Performance Dips
A CALDER study suggests
that the performance drop
associated with new principals
is larger at the schools hiring
NYCLA Aspiring Principal
Program graduates and these
relative performance trends are
not reversed until 3 years later,
and then only for English.
(Clark, Martorell, Rockoff,
2009).
A study by RAND (sponsored by New Leaders) found similar student performance dips for
students who had one year with a new, New Leaders principal.

4. Research clearly shows that principals are a key ingredient in the performance of their school,
especially if that school enrolls a large number of low performing and/or poor and minority
students. The research is also quite clear that new principals become more effective as they gain
experience.5
Therefore, we anticipate an even greater annual impact on student
achievement as the NELA principals gain more experience.
A
Radically
Different
Principal
Preparation
Program
NELA’s program is radically different from traditional MSAs. The rigorous, research-based
program requires participants to demonstrate their leadership skills through solving authentic
school problems with the support of executive coaches. NELA teaches participants powerful
mindsets and skill sets that are changing the trajectory of historically low-performing schools.
Program experiences are customized to focus on turnaround principles for rural, low
performing, high-poverty schools and communities. Classes and trainings are held at sites in
northeastern NC.
Over $14 million dollars in external funding from a combination of philanthropic, state, and
federal grants has been secured to support the work of NELA, of which $6.7 million from the
USDOE is currently supporting the latest iterations of the project, NELA 2.0 and NELA-DST.
In addition to the UCEA award, NELA has been recognized at the local, state, and national
levels by organizations at the vanguard of educational leadership preparation as well as in in
journal publications and by media outlets including:
• Education Week
o http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/08/04/37rural.h29.html?tkn=VLLF39O
BNrzT9ezptAMNBnHC1YJrGsoFFRFR&cmp=clp-edweek and
o http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rural_education/2013/10/nc_state_university_win
s_grant_to_expand_training_for_rural_school_leaders.html
• The Center for American Progress
o http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/07/01/93015/the-
changing-role-of-the-principal/
• Planning and Changing
o http://education.illinoisstate.edu/planning/articles/vol43.shtml
• UCEA Review
5
(Beteille, Kalogrides and Loeb 2011, Branch, Hanushek and Rivkin 2012, Clark, Martorell and Rockoff 2009, Coelli and Green Forthcoming,
Seashore-Louis, et al. 2010).

5. o Volume 54 Number 2, Summer, 2013
Staying
the
Course
As a Land-Grant university, NC State has a unique mission and commitment to serve the
educational needs of our state by providing access to continuing education and professional
development to transform lives and provide leadership to the state.
Therefore, NELA will continue to deliver one of America’s top preparation programs to
individuals committed to be exception leaders for NC’s schools. The next cohort of NELA’s
MSA program will begin Summer 2016.
“Some folks talk about coming out here to help our schools but they seldom deliver
or stay long enough to make an impact but not NC State.
You all are helping us in impactful ways…most importantly –
helping us get the right leaders in place.”
~ NELA District Superintendent