School leaders set the foundation of what makes a great school and the need for strong principals in Minneapolis has never been more urgent. According to the Minnesota Principal Survey (CAREI), principals report that their jobs feel unsustainable, and their sense of capability across 47 of 49 leadership activities declined between 2021 and 2023. Yet highly effective principals can add 2–7 months of student learning in a single year and account for 25% of a school’s total impact on students.

Leadership Fellows

Great MN Schools’ Leadership Fellows Program is designed to strengthen the pipeline of effective school leaders across our network. We combine cohort learning, targeted coaching, and real-world practice to prepare emerging leaders to navigate complex challenges with clarity, courage, and children at the center.

New York City Learning Walk

This quarter, fellows spent two days in New York City visiting three high-performing schools where they observed leaders and classrooms in action. Two themes kept surfacing in the conversation.

First: the power of setting and holding high standards, and what it actually takes for a leader to maintain them consistently.

Second: the impact of in-the-moment feedback. Watching a leader pull a teacher aside mid-lesson, offer one specific note, and then see the instruction shift in real time. That’s something a slide deck can’t fully capture.

“It was a great experience. I think that being able to really zoom in and see what is working for other schools is truly motivating and encouraging. These are schools that are beating the odds and making a change. They didn’t start out this way and nothing is more encouraging than that. I am so grateful for this opportunity.” – Hailey Collins, New Millennium Academy

From Learning to Practice

The NYC visit is one piece of a full year of development. Fellows began the program by building foundational leadership knowledge, and have spent the school year in development sessions, school visits, and 1:1 coaching, all grounded in the daily realities of their school. For these leaders, New York was proof that what they’re working toward is real and that the actions they take every day can have a measurable impact on student learning.

By the end of the program, Fellows will have not just learned about leadership. They have practiced it. They have coached teachers, led teams, analyzed student learning, and built systems that support strong instruction. They leave prepared to lead schools where teaching is consistently improving and where students are challenged, supported, and engaged every day.

“We saw some excellent schools and were able to connect them to the learning/actions we are currently doing. This makes this work not only inspiring but possible!”

Thomas Thao New Millennium Academy