Blog and Thought Leadership Articles

The Strategic Moment Summer Is When SY27 Actually Gets Decided End-of-year data isn't just a report card. It's a strategic prompt. Right now, schools are identifying their SY27 priorities and…

This Moment Is About Evolution There's a lot of good work happening in school leadership development. Organizations across the country are working hard on pieces of this puzzle — training…

By Dr. Catherine Burns, President & Chief Academic Officer, Accelerate Institute Every August, we choose a rally cry to guide our work at Accelerate Institute. For the 2025–26 school year,…

By Dr. Catherine Burns, Chief Academic Officer As the President of Accelerate Institute and a committed educator for over 25 years, I have witnessed the challenges facing K-12 education intensify…

As a school system leader, your most valuable resource is your people. But is school leader burnout impacting your students' success? The challenges facing K-12 education are more pressing than…

Roughly 1 in 10 (11%) of public school principals left the profession entirely between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, resigning or retiring at more than double pre-pandemic rates. One…

Professional learning for this generation of school leaders. In the years since the pandemic, academic outcomes — particularly those in schools predominantly serving low-income students and students of color —…

Joán Álvarez is a firm believer in the grit and perseverance of first-generation college students. So much so, in fact, that the subject is the very focus of his dissertation.…

The Leadership Academy is designed for school leaders at all levels: principal, assistant principal, dean, instructional coach—essentially any educator who wants to grow their leadership capabilities to maximize their impact…

More than 500 school leaders’ ability to lead. Over 133,000 students’ life trajectories. Those are the numbers when it comes to the remarkable impact Accelerate Institute has made since our…

Once a driving force at Accelerate Institute, inspirational educator Dr. Angel Turner has now set her sights on an ambitious new undertaking: playing the lead role in delivering a quality…

Before the 2023-24 school year got underway, educators enjoyed an opportunity to pause, reset, and focus on all of the important work ahead. Over the summer, our team here at…

In the years since the pandemic forced schools to close and educators to shift to remote learning, fears about how — or whether — students would be able to keep…

It’s official.  With its ruling last week that effectively ended the role of affirmative action in college admissions, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a devastating blow to diversity efforts…

Most of us feel pressure to conform to the people around us throughout our lives. For some of us, this feeling can be compounded by a lack of acceptance from…

As Founding Principal of KIPP Academy Chicago Primary (KACP), Jarell Lee was on track to help his students exceed their educational goals. “Our student culture was really strong, our family…

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, schools across the country collectively shifted to a remote learning model. Families found themselves wondering, Can my child receive an adequate education if they’re not…

The most valuable lesson Melissa Jones Clarke ever received was from a friend she’d invited to work as a substitute at one of her schools. At the time, Clarke felt…

It was just another seemingly ordinary day late in the school year at Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy Clinton Hill in Newark, New Jersey the day that Principal Jody-Anne Jones…

In the mission of working to provide an equitable education for all students, the importance of giving students of color access to educators who look like them simply cannot be…

The new year is officially underway — and what a year 2023 is shaping up to be! Here at Accelerate Institute, we've been busy this month putting in the work…

As we head into the holiday season, I challenge school leaders to ask yourselves, “What is my most important focus right now?” Consider the singular most important objective you and…

By Dr. Catherine Burns, Chief Academic Officer When it comes to delivering equity in education, it’s imperative that the teacher and leadership representation of a school reflects the students that…

We're always beyond excited when National Principals Month rolls around each October. With all of the amazing achievements we see from the inspirational school leaders we work with, there's never…