PPEERS Awarded $3.4 Million to Support Two More Cohorts

Posted on June 28, 2018

Principal Preparation for Excellence and Equity in Rural Schools (PPEERS) is a partnership between UNC Greensboro, eleven rural districts, and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) supported by a $1.8 million grant from the North Carolina Alliance for School Leader Development. This cohort-based program recruits and prepares 20 committed educators to serve as institution leaders in rural school districts, with the goal to create a strong principal pipeline to benefit these underrepresented, high-needs schools across North Carolina. PPEERS is spearheaded by Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt, the director of the program; Dr. Anne Davis, recently retired Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations (ELC) faculty; and Dr. Carl Lashley, current ELC faculty member and co-director of the Moss Street Partnership School.

With the first cohort completing the program this month (June 2018), PPEERS leadership and the UNCG School of Education are thrilled to announce that the program has been awarded $3.4 million for a 4-year extension to support two more cohorts. The second cohort will begin their program in fall of 2018 and complete in June of 2020. Funding for future cohorts is recurring over time, pending continued legislative support and positive evaluations of PPEERS by the North Carolina Alliance for School Leadership Development.

“The School of Education has been a great resource that fosters a strong foundation for our externally funded program,” says Candice Nelson, program manager of PPEERS. This substantial funding goes toward full in-state tuition and fees for the Masters of School Administration for a complete cohort of 20 students. It also provides salary replacement for the 10-month, full-time internship at the 2017/2018 entry level state Assistant Principal salary rate, leadership development, and enriching experiences based in social justice and racial equity.

Read more about PPEERS here.