Three Richland One elementary school principals have been accepted into the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) Talent Matters Professional Development Network for Principals.
SCDE teamed up with the Urban Schools Human Capital Academy to establish this network. It is designed to support the “professional growth of principals as human capital leaders.”
LaQuana Aldridge of A.C. Moore Elementary, Ashton Jones of Burton-Pack Elementary and Dr. Monica Owens Carter of H.B. Rhame Elementary have been accepted into the network for the 2023-2024 school year.
“I consider it a privilege to have been accepted into the Talent Matters Network. My goal, as is my goal in every aspect of my career, is to continue having a growth mindset in order to be the best leader I can for my students, staff, and families. I look forward to working alongside other leaders to learn how to recruit, retain, and grow teachers into the best versions of themselves,” said Aldridge.
The principals’ network will meet virtually for 90 minutes once a month from August 2023-April 2024. Principals selected for the network learn about a specific and timely human capital topic and use a set of tools that correspond to that month’s focus area.
Monthly topics include teacher retention, workforce planning and teacher selection. Each virtual meeting will provide principals with new skills and opportunities to learn from one another.
"This is an emerging concentration for my leadership growth as our district seeks to retain talented teachers and employees. I look forward to building a broader perspective and extending my expertise as a leader through this innovative opportunity,” said Dr. Owens Carter.
"It is an honor to be a part of a network designed to support school administrators with the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed to become influential human capital leaders. I am excited to use what I will learn from this experience to grow intrinsically as a leader and support my school district," said Jones.
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From left to right are: LaQuana Aldridge (A.C. Moore Elementary School Principal), Ashton Jones (Burton-Pack Elementary School Principal) and Dr. Monica Owens Carter (H.B. Rhame Elementary School Principal)
