LEAD Public Schools

At LEAD Public Schools, we prioritize utilizing and growing strong leadership pipelines, with the goal of supporting scholars with dynamic and invested leaders who are focused on improving academic outcomes. One key component of these leadership pipelines is our school-based instructional leadership teams, or the ILT. 

Zooming In: LEAD Southeast Middle’s Instructional Leadership Team

At LEAD Southeast Middle School (LSEM), our homegrown ILT has a clear mission: to develop teachers as professionals, support the wellbeing of the entire school community, and drive academic outcomes through targeted coaching from assistant principals and the principal.

The ILT, managed by Assistant Principals of Instruction Taylor Bruner and Kelly Carden, includes instructional managers representing each academic discipline:

• English Language Arts/English Language Development and Electives: Allison Ludwig
• English Language Arts/Exceptional Education: Brandon McGill
• Science and Electives: Kristen Collier
• Social Studies and Electives: Brent Harper
• Math: Kaella Mitchell
• Response to Intervention: Kyla Davion

“Everyone on our team is an expert in their field, but more importantly, everyone is hungry — hungry for feedback, hungry to refine their craft, and hungry to push themselves and each other to provide the best possible education for our kids. There is a relentless pursuit of quality instruction that drives everything we do, and that mindset is contagious.”

–Brandon McGill

Growing Leaders from the Inside

Since 2020, approximately 60% of the school’s ILT mobility has come from internal promotions or network-wide movements. Teachers have advanced to instructional manager roles, instructional managers have become assistant principals of instruction, and assistant principals have moved into the principal role.

“While many schools outsource talent from outside, LEAD Southeast focuses on building capacity within its own teachers, empowering them to grow alongside leadership,” said ILT member Kaella Mitchell. “This approach has created an environment where teachers have the opportunity to develop where they are, whether it be around classroom management, data-driven instruction, to peer observers and developing teachers who can observe peers through the same lens.”

Principal Jonathan Brocco, who himself was promoted from assistant principal during the 2023-24 school year, notes, “Our ILT beautifully demonstrates the impact of LEAD’s Employee Value Proposition and succession planning models on existing and prospective LEADers.”

Growing leaders from within the LEAD network helps to ensure seamless alignment in terms of coaching, curriculum, and management whenever there is a transition. It also ensures that the leaders at the top are already fully invested in the students we serve and the work we do. 

“One of the most remarkable aspects of our ILT is how deeply rooted we are in the school community,” said Instructional Manager Brandon McGill. “Many of us have grown into leadership roles after serving in various capacities within the building. This shared history creates a deep sense of trust, collaboration, and collective responsibility.” 

Strategic Succession Planning

The leadership selection process at LSEM begins with a simple yet powerful directive: When someone starts a leadership position, their first task is to identify their successor. 

The selection focuses on two critical areas:

1. Impact on student outcomes
2. Actions that reinforce the school’s mission and collective culture

Once they identify promising staff members, they develop leadership potential by:

• Co-observing classrooms with instructional managers or assistant principals
• Appointing grade-level chairs
• Encouraging leadership in extracurricular activities
• Appointing coordinators for school events and field trips
• Inviting select staff to senior leadership meetings to refine systems and policies

If an existing leader demonstrates aptitude and interest for further promotion, they work with members of the LEAD Network Support (NeST) Team to design Leadership Development Plans for those individuals. 

One of the members of the ILT who has been set up to move into her current leadership role, Kristen Collier, shared what the process was like once she exhibited interest in advancing at LSEM.

“I was able to talk with leaders who moved with a similar trajectory,” she said. “The process was seamless, as I was made aware of the expectations, commitments, and differences in my day immediately. I had the perspective of someone who had similar experiences to me and similar reservations. Having this insider knowledge made me more comfortable pursuing the role as it felt like something I was capable of. I was already familiar with families, our culture, and our systems. I knew I had a passion for the work I was getting to do and I knew LSEM is a place that would develop me to do it well.” 

Kelly Carden, who is now one of the assistant principals of instruction at LSEM, has also had intentional opportunities that lead to her own job growth. “We create opportunities to build capacity in current and future roles,” she said. “I was constantly being given new tasks to prepare me to become an assistant principal. For example, one part of my current role is being our school’s building testing coordinator (BTC). My development as BTC started when I was an exceptional education instructional manager. I was first the BTC over alternative testing, and my second year, I was the secondary BTC for all of state testing.” Getting a chance to lead in different capacities before taking on an entirely new leadership role allows team members to build skills needed for their desired role. 

The Ripple Effect of Strong Instructional Leadership

Leadership management directly influences the entire school ecosystem, impacting both student experiences and school culture.

ILT member Brandon McGill emphasized: “A strong ILT is the foundation of everything at LSEM. When leadership is aligned, collaborative, and consistently pushing each other to get better, that energy radiates through every layer of the building. Teachers feel supported and developed, which directly impacts how they show up for students. Ultimately, a strong ILT creates the conditions where students can thrive — academically, socially, and emotionally.”

Allison Ludwig reinforced this sentiment: “Having a strong ILT is everything. Our job – which focuses on curriculum, high-level data analysis, classroom management techniques, and more – allows teachers to focus on what they do best: teaching. Through intentional and individualized coaching we see teachers at LSEM growing at an incredible rate which in turn allows for student growth.”  

The ILT is the backbone of instruction and leads the way for great teaching and learning to take place every day. “From data analysis and live coaching, to knowing exactly what each individual teacher needs to develop their practice, the ILT can do it,” said Taylor Bruner, assistant principal of instruction. “Having an ILT that is hungry, flexible, and agile, as well as skilled and ready to give, receive, and implement feedback is the change-maker. Having a structure like this allows for teachers to be developed with a coach and for coaches to be developed by their leader and manager. Not every school has such a unique structure, and we get to support every person in the building even better because of it.”

“There is no ego in the room when this team convenes. Each day is met with a joyful zest for partnership and taking new steps towards our goals! Each team member knows their strengths and elevates them at the right times, but we also listen deeply to one another and grow as a result.”

–Jonathan Brocco, Principal, LEAD Southeast Middle