About Phase I Leadership

OK-ACTS meets its mission through quality professional development opportunities for lead school administrators.

The development of the program content is the culmination of input from the OK-ACTS Partnership Board, OK-ACTS "Cluster Coaches" (principals and superintendents), Oklahoma Career Technology representatives, grant directors and University of Oklahoma professor, Dr. Mary John O’Hair, and Norman Professional Development Center Director, Elaine Hale. These opportunities begin with a Leadership Seminar where the school administrators are exposed to in-depth understanding of the components of the OK-ACTS Model through information sharing as well contextual problem-based learning.

At the Leadership Seminar, the participants are assigned to a "cluster coach" who is a practicing principal or superintendent and who provides support "coaching" to their "cluster" of 20-25 school administrators in the component areas of the OK-ACTS Model (the IDEALS and the Ten practices of High Achieving schools) over a period of a year. The cluster coach facilitates two additional days of training with their cluster relevant to their expressed needs following the Leadership Seminar. School leaders and their faculty complete an on-line technology integration assessment instrument designed to gather data from teachers about their use of technology for planning purposes.

All participants commit to developing an action plan in some aspect of systemic change and technology implementation. Participants join OU’s Annual Winter Institute which is designed to build on their understanding of systemic change and technology implementation in their schools. Through partnering with other professional organizations, additional professional development opportunities are provided. Lead superintendents and head principals complete the online assessment, attend the follow-up cluster meetings, log 75 hours of job-embedded professional development, and write an action plan for one of the Ten Practices of High-Achieving Schools. As completers, they qualify to apply for further grants.