RYHT Leadership Program

What is the RYHT Harvard Leadership Program?

The RYHT Harvard Leadership Program is a selective, weeklong professional development summer course taught by world-class faculty at one of the best graduate schools of education in the country, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in Cambridge, MA.

As we are committed to providing ongoing support for Texas school leaders, RYHT also organizes an annual two-day professional development-oriented reunion conference for all alumni of the RYHT Harvard Leadership Program.

Why does RYHT invest in principals?

At RYHT, we recognize the critical role of human capital in building student achievement. Absent a higher salary structure for educators, the most powerful incentive to retain effective teachers is supportive leadership. As of summer 2011, our effort has invested in 500 principals, providing powerful leadership to an estimated 24,000 teachers and 367,000 students in Texas public schools.

Who pays for the RYHT Harvard Leadership Program and Reunion?

We do! During the summer, RYHT provides travel, hotel stay, tuition, and a $50 daily stipend for all principals accepted through RYHT. For the reunion conference, there is no registration or participation fee, and RYHT provides a one-night hotel stay for all out-of-town alumni.

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants must be a current Texas public or public charter school principal. (Sorry, no assistant principals.)

What is expected of me?

If selected for the RYHT Leadership Program, we ask that participants:

1. At Harvard:
• Attend all classes at Harvard during their selected course
• Write at least one blog post during their Harvard experience
• Meet with an RYHT staffer in Cambridge
2. Back at school:
• In early Fall 2012, write and submit a brief prospectus to RYHT for your plan to implement your summer learning
• During Fall 2012, present summer learning either to principal colleagues in the district, district administration, or both, and either invite the RYHT team or videotape the presentation and send to RYHT
• Allow RYHT staff to visit your campus once during the 2012-2013 school year
• Grant RYHT access to your campus data for internal RYHT program evaluation
• Attend the 2013 RYHT Leadership Reunion and subsequent annual reunions if possible

How do I apply?

All components of the application are due on January 20th and are available here.

Applicants will be notified of RYHT’s decision on May 2nd.

Applicants MUST apply through the RYHT website and NOT through Harvard directly. If you apply on the Harvard website and not the RYHT one, you will not be considered for the RYHT program and thus will not be funded.

What does the application involve?

You will submit the following components:

• Contact information for a recommender
• Basic information
• Preference for interview
• Main essays
• Short answer questions

How do recommendations work?

In order for you to be considered for the RYHT Leadership Program, we must receive a recommendation for you from a professional supervisor.

We request that your recommender be a direct supervisor who knows you well professionally and can speak very specifically about your performance. Your recommender should NOT submit a hard copy letter, as these will not be considered.

You will be asked to submit an e-mail address for a recommender in a separate form here so that he or she can fill out an online recommendation form with specific questions. RYHT highly recommends that you submit this form as soon as possible so that your recommender has ample time to respond to recommendation questions before the deadline of January 20th.

How do interviews work?

In order to be accepted to the RYHT Leadership Program, you must be personally interviewed. Interviews are mandatory for acceptance and cannot be waived.

RYHT will invite applicants to schedule an interview starting on February 10th, but you may receive an interview request up to the decision date on May 2nd. We cannot answer questions about your interview status or admissions status until final admissions decisions are made.

Should you be invited to interview, we prefer that you either use Skype or interview in-person. On your application, you will select one:

• I have access to a webcam/microphone and will therefore be able to schedule an online interview via Skype.
• I live in/will be able to travel at my own expense to the Houston area for an on-site interview at the Raise Your Hand Texas office.
• I neither have access to a webcam nor can I travel to Houston. (Please note that while we will do our best to accommodate you, if you select this option, an interview, and therefore consideration for the program, cannot be guaranteed.)

What are the essays?

You must answer TWO essay questions, each a maximum of 500 words. The first essay is common to all applicants; the second depends on which specific institute for which you will apply.

You should spend the most time on the essays section, as this is the section that has the most bearing on RYHT’s selection.

• ESSAY #1: REQUIRED ESSAY FOR ALL APPLICANTS (500 word limit)
  Describe a challenging situation when you were leading a team of adults. How did you handle it? What lessons did you learn?

• ESSAY #2: Answer ONLY the question associated with the specific program you wish to apply to. Please clearly indicate in your document which essay you are choosing (500 word limit).

  1. Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership (June 26-July 2, 2012)
     NOTE: Limited to applicants with 1 to 3 years of experience as a principal.
     
     ESSAY QUESTION:
     If you could change anything about your campus, what is the most significant thing you would change to improve student outcomes?

  2. Leadership: An Evolving Vision (July 6–12, 2012)
     NOTE: Limited to applicants with at least 3 years of experience as a principal.
     
     ESSAY QUESTION:
     Describe a situation where you made a leadership decision to implement significant change. Why was the change needed? How could you tell whether your implementation was successful?

  3. Redesigning High Schools for Improved Instruction (July 15-July 20, 2012)
     NOTE: Applicant must be a current high school principal or have secured a high school principalship for the 2012-2013 school year.
     
     ESSAY QUESTION:
     One of the greatest challenges in leading high schools is ensuring that all students complete high school ready for college or the workforce. Please describe how you have worked to make this possible on both fronts – college readiness and career readiness. How do you know whether you have been successful?

How are participants chosen?

In consultation with Harvard, RYHT will select 50 Texas principals for this year’s program. We look for excellent leadership qualities that great principals are known to possess.

Can I recommend someone?

Yes! Click here to go to our nomination form or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the contact information of a Texas public school principal or principals you would like to recommend. We will send an e-mail inviting them to apply. You can also nominate your principal on the RYHT website.

What programs are available, and what are their dates?

Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership
June 26-July 2, 2012
Designed for school leaders in the early stages of their careers, the institute will help you to expand your leadership skills, explore how to enhance student learning and create success for yourself and your school.

Leadership: An Evolving Vision
July 6-12, 2012
Designed for experienced school leaders, this institute will help you to strengthen your leadership and management skills and revitalize your personal vision of leadership.

Redesigning High Schools for Improved Instruction
July 15-20, 2012
This program provides the theories, knowledge, tools and best practices necessary to redesign high schools so they can become powerful learning environments for both students and adults.

Why should I apply?/Why should I nominate someone to apply?

There are so many reasons! Here are just a few:

• Research studies have found:
• The quality of training principals receive once they are hired and throughout their careers has a lot to do with whether school leaders can meet the increasingly tough expectations of these jobs.
• School leadership is a key factor in schools that outperform others with similar students.
• Contemporary school administrators play many roles, ranging from educational visionaries and change agents to instructional leaders, curriculum and assessment experts, budget analysts, facility managers, special program administrators, and community builders. The urgent demands of the moment too often supersede the long-term, challenging work of improving instruction.
• Meet fellow school leaders from across the country and across the world.
• Become a Harvard alumnus/a!

Thanks, but there’s no way I’ll get in to Harvard

It is always worth it to apply – you never know! Many RYHT alumni are willing to offer feedback on essays, increasing your chances of getting in. Consider also that RYHT is looking for passion, talent, and diversity in the Harvard Leadership corps. We have accepted principals from all across Texas, serving all types of schools (big, small, urban, rural, high-income, low-income), and we are constantly looking to expand our program’s reach.

What will I learn at Harvard?

Here are just a few of the things that you will learn during your summer at HGSE:

• Master a step-by-step process for using data as a lever for school improvement
• Experience ten protocols to engage your faculty in the collaborative use of data
• Better understand how to use Excel® and PowerPoint® to analyze, display and tell your data story
• Learn how to successfully lead faculty in examining instruction
• Explore the school leader’s role in managing change
• Apply the latest research and best practices to your own school improvement efforts
• Develop skills and techniques to foster effective communication, team building, and inclusion
• Learn to shape a school culture that supports learning for all
• Develop an understanding of how adult learning and teacher development contribute to school improvement
• Enhance your personal leadership capacity and instructional leadership skills
• and much, much more!

I have a question not addressed here. Who do I contact?

Contact Miriam Goldberg, Program Coordinator and Research Associate for RYHT, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit RYHT’s website at www.raiseyourhandtexas.org.