LaCreasha Stille, Brandon Whiten, Amy Allen, and Taylor Dudenhoeffer are among the 50 school leaders from across Texas selected as the 2023 cohort of educators to attend summer institutes at the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Four Gainesville ISD campus and district staff are among the 50 school leaders from across Texas selected as the 2023 cohort of educators to attend summer institutes at the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education sponsored by the Charles Butt Foundation, a non-profit pursuing a more equitable and prosperous future for all Texans through education and community partnerships.

With these new cohorts, the Charles Butt Foundation will have paid for more than 1,500 educators to attend training at Harvard through the Raising School Leaders program, an initiative designed to develop stronger school leaders who will enhance the quality of education across Texas. The Charles Butt Foundation covers expenses for the attendees including tuition, travel, hotel, and other discretionary costs for a total investment of more than $10 million since the program’s inception.

Attendees, including individual principals as well as campus teams, will participate in one of two weeklong workshops on leadership development, coaching, or school turnaround led by Harvard faculty and other national and international experts. Gainesville ISD representatives include LaCreasha Stille, Assistant Superintendent, Brandon Whiten, Chalmers Principal, Amy Allen, Chalmers Assistant Principal, and Taylor Dudenhoeffer, Chalmers Reading Interventionist.  Each program is designed to inspire, challenge, and empower school leaders to bring a lasting impact to their campuses and communities, the entire state of Texas, and beyond.

The opportunity to learn at Harvard University is amazing,” Brandon Whiten said. “ We are meeting with educators from across the country to discuss strategies and procedures that will elevate our school and benefit our students in Gainesville for years to come.”

For this summer’s institutes, preference was given to school leaders from districts that were considered rural or had a student enrollment of less than 5,000. “As demographics shift in Texas, we recognize that the needs of schools in rural and smaller districts are unique. Creating a space for school leaders in rural and smaller districts to find commonalities, problem solve, and build a network of support is an important component of this year’s Raising School Leaders program,” added Miller.

Following the Harvard Institutes, attendees remain a part of the program’s statewide network of school leaders and are empowered to work together to create change at the campus and district levels. Alumni are sponsored to attend the organization’s biannual leadership symposium and receive continuous support and professional development.