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Leadership Placement Programme

The leadership placement programme introduces new, exciting and highly motivating approaches to management and leadership issues.

A really valuable learning curve for teaching staff of any discipline

Julie Jones, Beacon Hill High School. Participant of the Leadership Placement Programme

The leadership placement programme will introduce new, exciting and highly motivating approaches to management and leadership issues as well as developing multi-faceted leadership skills.

Aims and Objectives

  • The work in the USA will enable reflection within an education system that will provide an opportunity to take an outside view of the existing practices within the UK.
  • Teachers will be able to compare and contrast elements of learning about leadership in the USA with their local understanding.
  • New approaches and dimensions to leadership can then be applied back at home.
Leadership trainees teaching their students about rocket physics

Programme Timetable

  • A visit to Houston. During this visit, teachers will have the opportunity to visit local American elementary, middle or high schools, receive input from educational leadership specialists from Rice University and engage with the educational and motivational expertise of NASA's Johnson Space Centre
  • An introductory session prior to the visit
  • Participation in an on-line virtual community
  • The Provision of CD-ROM and support materials

Why Houston?

ISSET has been involved in teacher and student education programmes in Houston since 2000.

Houston is a fascinating city within which to carry out the work. It is the fourth largest city in the USA.

It has both inner city schools and suburban schools, including dual language schools.

Houston has many of the problems and concerns of a very large multi-cultural inner city, whilst also having great optimism that these concerns can and are being overcome by inclusive policies and programmes.

Houston is the largest city in southern Texas, home to NASA's Johnson Space Centre

Houston also offers the opportunity to take advantage of the inspirational and highly motivating space programme that is based at NASA’s ‘Johnson Space Centre’, the home of Mission Control and astronaut training.

Programme Details

Houston Study Visit

School Observation & School District Input :-

  • Behaviour management
  • Attendance & punctuality
  • School ethos
  • Use of assessment information
  • Tracking student progress
  • Use of ICT
  • Wider educational development
  • Equal opportunities
  • Progression through planning
  • Personal responsibility
  • Working with ethnic minorities
  • Setting high standards
Observe and partner in teaching at Houston schools

Rice University :-

  • The achievement gap between majority & minority ethnic groups
  • Focusing on achievement of ethnic minorities
  • ‘No Child Left Behind’ programme
  • Importance of teams and team building exercise at 'Houston Museum of Natural Science'
Leadership trainees teaching their students about rocket physics

Johnson Space Centre and Aerospace Industry :-

  • How to inspire students
  • The importance of personal goals
  • High achievement for all
  • Preparing for a world of global partnership and advanced technological communication

Mentoring for :-

  • Individual difficulties
  • Develop team ethos
  • Setting goals
  • Comparison of US and UK approaches
  • Career Entry Profiles
  • Personal objectives & action plans
  • Online virtual community and support
Explore space in the classroom at NASA's Johnson Space Centre