The university's rigorous certification program, which puts a strong emphasis on bilingualism and multiculturalism, is funded by a $400,000 grant from the Educational Leadership Initiative of the Texas High School Project.  The Educational Leadership Initiative is jointly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wallace Foundation, and is conducted in partnership with the Texas Education Agency.

"Our grant-funded program is intended to prepare students to become principals of highly impacted high schools," said Dr. John Brooks, executive lecturer and grant director.  "We rolled the trip to Mexico into our grant because of the influx of Spanish speaking students in the state.  We are well aware that many of the parents that our principals will be interacting with do not speak English, and therefore we want to make sure that the principals that we produce here at UNT are conversational in Spanish."

The program is condensed into 18 months and spans from summer to summer.  The program includes 36 hours of coursework including classes from the College of Education and the College of Business Administration.  Students also work as assistant principals in a Dallas or Fort Worth ISD school during their fall and spring semester.

The program uses a cohort system, which means that students travel through the program together as a single unit.  The cohort concept was built into the program to provide a support system as the students advance through their coursework and into their careers.

The program culminates with the language immersion and cultural acquisition program in Cuernavaca.  The first group of cohort students traveled to Cuernavaca during the summer of 2007.  Many of the students that participated in the trip now work in the metroplex as associate or assistant principals.  Shon Joseph, a member of the first cohort, was hired as principal of Palestine High School this past June.

"The principal certification program's rigor and Spanish immersion program was critical in my career growth," said Joseph.  "More than 30 percent of Palestine's High School students are Hispanic.  Being a member of a very aggressive program designed to teach language and an appreciation for culture was a major asset for me during the hiring process."

The second cohort will leave for Mexico on July 25 (Friday), and return on Aug. 10.  They will participate in Spanish language classes and Spanish and Mexican history classes.  The students also participate in field trips to acquire an understanding of the differences in the economy and culture of Mexico, compared to the United States.  Field trips include the Ballet Folklorico in Mexico City, Acapulco and Teotihuacan.

"The cultural acquisition element of the program helps the students develop a better understanding of what their future students are coming to the schoolhouse door with, in terms of prior learning and culture," said Brooks.

For more information on the Texas High School Project visit http://www.thsp.org/.  For more information on programs offered by UNT's Department of Teacher Education and Administration visit http://www.coe.unt.edu/tea/.  For information on the principal certification program contact Brooks at (940)565-2951 or john.brooks@unt.edu.