The Model

SAM upends traditional approaches to leadership development and school improvement by redefining the following:

• Unit of participation: Typically, individual candidates apply to leadership preparation programs. In SAM, the applicant is a school team consisting of the principal and a group(s) of faculty members working together on real school issues.
• Subject of study: School leadership preparation and the practice of school leadership are usually separated by time and space. Participants study the relevant literature in university and acting on this knowledge happens later in a separate, school-based setting. For SAM participants, their own schools are the subject of study; the professional literature is used to better understand school-based experiences and build upon existing knowledge. Teams judge their success by their capacity to improve student outcomes in their schools. 
• Role of leadership: In many schools, the role of school leader is all too often seen as separate from the role of classroom instructor. SAM holds that roles have a shared goal and develops school leaders whose leadership is defined by closing the gap in student performance. Finally, SAM helps schools develop an internal succession plan by giving participants time to learn and practice the work of the position to which they aspire.