Maine's Leadership Development Program

Empowering Leaders to Increase Achievement for All Maine Students

The Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the launch of Maine's Leadership Development Program (Maine LDP), an initiative intended to build and strengthen instructional leadership skills among Maine’s educational leaders at the school, district, and state levels. The launch phase will focus on building a strong foundation for making the program widely accessible. The Maine DOE has partnered with the National Institute for School Leaders (NISL) to prepare the first cohort of candidates to become certified trainers and facilitators of future cohorts, providing a unique and rewarding leadership opportunity. The Maine LDP brings together the Maine DOE’s successful Transformational Leaders’ Network with NISL’s nationally recognized Executive Development Program (EDP). The Maine DOE's ESEA Federal Programs, School Turnaround, and Higher Education and Educator Support Services teams are collaborating to provide the executive leadership training to instructional leaders across Maine.

Maine's LDP is delivered through a blended learning model and includes study, inquiry, and hands-on activities with practical applications that meet the rigorous expectations for today’s educational leaders. In the first cohort, NISL experts will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum and provide additional training for Maine LDP facilitators. Successful graduates from the initial cohort will deliver the Maine LDP curriculum to future cohorts regionally. Completion of the program can contribute to credit hours for participants pursuing an advanced degree or contact hours for recertification purposes.

Training Delivered by Proven Leaders

Maine's LDP facilitators will understand education in Maine and be recognized in the field. All facilitators will be NISL certified.

Benefits for Maine Schools

• Prepares educational leaders to lead for excellence and equity

• Increases student achievement, fosters a culture of high expectations

• Enhances teacher recruitment, retention, and quality

Program Curriculum

• Nationally researched, evidenced-based, and locally delivered in a cohort model

• Improves the practice of leadership, transforms instruction and student achievement in schools

• Consists of 12 two-day units, delivered in 12 to 15 months

• Bridged with online coursework, readings and job-embedded application of key concepts