PLDC MISSION: ( . . . why we exist, the business that we are in)

To develop dynamic, future-focused educational leaders
. . . which requires "looking at education through leadership eyes"

PLDC BELIEFS ABOUT LEADERS AND LEADING: ( . . . what we believe and, therefore, how we do things)

Leadership is the key to organizational effectiveness
Integrity is the core of Authentic Leadership
Courage, risk-taking, and innovation are prerequisites of productive change

PLDC BELIEFS ABOUT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: ( . . . what we believe and, therefore, how we do things)

Leadership can be learned . . . and in a variety of ways
Development must include the person, his/her values, knowledge and skills
Development must be both future-focused and research based
Leadership is learned best in collegial groups

PLDC CORE VALUES: ( . . . what we value, what we honor, and what we believe is most important)

The Power of Education
Accountability and Continuous Improvement
Lifelong-Learning and Development
Integrity, Diversity, Contribution, and Success

PLDC VISION: ( . . . what we will look like, feel like, act like, and be like when we are operating at our ideal best)

Regarding Products and Services . . .

We live in a time of rapid change. Education is changing, leadership is changing, leadership development is changing. The products and services of PLDC are continuously being upgraded, modified, and changed. Clients expect to get the latest, the best, the highest quality when they enter into a relationship with PLDC. What is on the PLDC menu today will not be what will be on the menu tomorrow . . . that is, unless nothing more effective has been discovered.

The Total Leaders Framework is the core of the products and services offered by PLDC. This framework is continuously challenged and modified to accommodate new realities, new research, and new leadership issues.

Today, Pennsylvania school systems and individual leaders can expect quality, in-depth learning experiences on the following leadership dimensions:

1. Creating a Compelling Organizational Purpose
2. Creating Meaning and Ownership Around Organizational Purpose
3. Empowering Everyone in the Organization
4. Modeling the Organization's Purpose and Principles
5. Managing Toward an Organizational Purpose and Vision
6. Creating a Culture of Cooperation, Innovation, Quality, and Success
7. Creating a Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement
8. Employing Win-Win Strategies With Customers and Clients
9. Creating a Change-Friendly, Continuous Improvement Mindset
10. Being the Lead Learner and Creating Learning Organizations
11. Strategic Design . . . Creating a Client-Centered, Future-Focused Direction for Your Organization
12. Principles of Professionalism . . . Creating and Operationalizing the Organization's Moral Foundation
13. Supervision for Alignment . . . Making Sure that Everyone is On The Bus
14. Strategic Leadership Selection . . . Helping Leaders to Make Their Most Important Decision

This listing of products and services changes continuously as the needs and desires of leaders and organizations change, as the issues of our profession change, and as the research and theory indicate that there are new, better, and more effective ways of leading.

Regarding the Delivery System . . .

1. Clients of PLDC include practicing leaders, those considering leadership careers, those pursuing leadership credentials, and those who simply wish to learn more about leadership. Services are open to all leaders and all aspiring leaders who embrace the beliefs, mission, and values of PLDC.
2. Most PLDC workshop facilitators/consultants are practicing leaders who have proven themselves to be Total Leaders. Workshop leaders and consultants are chosen carefully for their knowledge of the content, their record of success in the areas in which they consult, their ability to present and facilitate learning experiences, and their commitment to being lifelong learners. The success of consultants and workshop facilitators is monitored closely and opportunities to team with other highly skilled facilitators are made available to everyone interested in becoming a PLDC facilitator/consultant.
3. Although most leadership concepts and skills can be learned best in collegial groups, much is also learned from experience and reflection, and much is learned from the personal study of leadership theory and research. PLDC realizes that people learn in different ways and at different rates. Therefore, PLDC delivers services, in workshop settings, to organizations and leadership teams with real problems and visions, and to individuals via on-line learning experiences. PLDC embraces today's reality that "anyone, can learn anything, at any way, at any time, from world-wide experts." Bureaucratic policies, based on administrative convenience, are trumped by a service-oriented organization focused on meeting customer/client needs.
4. Leadership development in Pennsylvania is much larger than PLDC . . . and we recognize that fact. PLDC creates and maintains strategic relationships with other PA organizations that have missions, beliefs, values, and visions similar/complementary to those of PLDC. PLDC leverages their resources and influence to meet the leadership needs of PA education.

Regarding Influence, Recognition, and Credibility . . .

1. PLDC is recognized and respected statewide for their ability to bring the best leadership thinking and leadership development to education. They have established their credibility through performance . . . performance over time. PLDC is viewed by PA leaders as the place to go to get the latest and best thinking regarding leadership, productive change, and future-focused planning.
2. If it is sponsored by PLDC, customers/clients expect quality. PLDC leadership ensures that all workshops, all learning experiences, all facilitators meet high standards . . . standards that have been clarified, measured, and monitored. PLDC has created feedback loops and continuous improvement processes that ensure quality . . . quality as defined by clients and customers.

THE PLDC FRAMEWORK IS BASED ON THE Total Leaders FRAMEWORK

[ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ] [ ORGANIZATION ] [ MARKET ] [ INITIATIVE ]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Today's leaders for tomorrow's schools will be better prepared by participation in the leadership opportunities provided by the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center. The assessment, professional development modules and continued professional support will empower these leaders to articulate and apply the best practices of leadership.

The Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center (PLDC), a non-profit organization formed in 1995 and committed to providing strategic leadership development training opportunities for Superintendents and persons aspiring to become Superintendents is ready to embark on a new paradigm in leadership assessment and development.

Utilizing the expertise of Dr. Charles Schwahn, noted author of the book Total Leaders: Applying the Best Future-Focused Change Strategies to Education, and numerous dedicated educators throughout Pennsylvania a new approach to Strategic Leadership Assessment and Development has been designed incorporating the following parameters:

1. Total Leaders Framework
2. Ten Critical Performance Roles of the Total Leader
3. Strategic Leader Selection. An External Assessment
4. Personal Leadership Assessment. Detailed Rubrics for each of the Ten Performance Roles
5. Leadership Development Opportunities. For Individuals and Teams - PLDC Training Modules for the Ten Performance Roles
6. Performance-Based Electronic Portfolios - Leaders demonstrating the Ten Performance Roles

The Duquesne University School of Education Leadership Institute, PASA, Pennsylvania School Study Council, and the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center have all worked cooperatively creating an assessment and strategic leadership development process for Pennsylvania school administrators.

Ten leadership training modules have been developed focusing on five domains of leadership: authentic, visionary, cultural, quality, and service. Additionally, the modules are cross-referenced to the ISSLC standards. Furthermore, the validity and reliability of Dr. Schwahn's Systematic Transformative Leader Selection Tool as an assessment process for professional development has been established by Duquesne University.

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THE ORGANIZATION

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, the Pennsylvania School Study Council, and the School of Education - Duquesne University, the Pennsylvania Leadership Development Center was formed in 1995 to offer professional growth opportunities for educational leaders in Pennsylvania utilizing materials developed by American Association of School Administrators and National Association of Secondary School Principals. Today, PLDC uses six courses that address 21st Century educational challenges and serve superintendents and senior level administrators to ultimately improve student learning in a globally competitive arena.

A board of sponsors appointed from the sponsoring organizations oversees the operation of the center programs in collaboration with the executive director. The board membership includes practicing and recently retired superintendents as well as persons active in educational programs at the university level. The present board members include the following persons:

Dr. Patrick Crawford, Executive Director of the PLDC and Superintendent of Schools (ret.), Bedford Area School District
Dr. Mark T. Dietz, Superintendent of Schools (ret.), Wyomissing Area School District
Dr. Timothy F. McNamee, Superintendent of Schools, Mohawk Area School District
Dr. Richard Mextorf, Superintendent of Schools, State College Area School District
Dr. P. Duff Rearick, Superintendent of Schools (ret.), Greencastle-Antrim School District
Dr. James E. (Jim) Henderson, Dean, College of Education, Duquesne University
Dr. James W. (Jay) Scott, Executive Director (ret.), Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13
Dr. Franny Serenka, Superintendent of Schools, Sto-Rox School District
Mr. Stinson Stroup, Executive Director (ret.), Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators

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THE MARKET

The PLDC Board of Sponsors recognizes there is a serious need for strategic leadership development programs for educators serving in central office and building level administrative positions as well as for persons aspiring to become educational leaders. This is especially true as senior administrators are rapidly reaching retirement age with new persons entering the administrative arena. Likewise, the demands for persons well-trained in leadership skills are essential in order to meet all the expectations such as the federal "No Child Left Behind" legislation that was mandated for all Pennsylvania school districts as well as other state and federal initiatives and mandates.

Previous development efforts were limited in the number of centers conducted and the persons annually involved. After administrative certification, very few opportunities existed to be involved in a comprehensive, structured, personalized on-going process, both synchronously and asynchronously. The strategic leadership development courses that have been formulated provide flexibility in their design and meet the needs for both aspiring and existing leaders. We strongly affirm that the potential exists to provide leadership development opportunities to a significantly greater number of persons than the number of persons previously serviced in the former model. We anticipate serving a minimum of 100 persons each year over the next several years.

The course format provides a minimum of two (2) persons who can facilitate a course for a specific number of persons at locations throughout the state.

Finally, participants will be in contact with facilitators via a web-based communication system in which an electronic portfolio option is available for participants and whereby participants can dialogue with other colleagues and share professional development activities and experiences relative to the course content.

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THE INITIATIVE

Dr. Charles J. Schwahn, in his book Total Leaders, Applying the Best Future-Focused Change Strategies to Education, has put together and synthesized all available leadership theories into one comprehensive and useable leadership/change model.

In his book Dr. Schwahn identifies five (5) broad clusters that he calls "domains of leadership performance." The domains are: Authentic, Visionary, Cultural, Quality and Service. Each domain has its own set of proponents, experts and practitioners, and each embodies a distinctive set of leadership performance roles and skills.