Building Capacity Locally - Supporting Principals and School Leaders in South Carolina - Fall 2021

Oct 15, 2026

Building Capacity Locally highlights how leadership support for school principals in South Carolina improves student outcomes, with emphasis on STEM learning and social-emotional learning. It describes a three-year SEED grant awarded in fall 2020 to NIET, in partnership with the University of South Carolina and BranchED, supporting 150 principals through virtual cohort training, quarterly communities of practice, and on-site coaching. The program is designed to advance equity for students in poverty, leveraging evidence-based practices to strengthen instructional leadership.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Program Overview

SEED Grant Purpose and Impact

South Carolina Principal Leadership Network (SCPLN)

Cohort-Based Virtual Development

Communities of Practice and Networking

Goals and Implementation

Goal 1: Leadership Networks

Goal 2: Instructional Leadership Capacity

Building Capacity Locally: Supporting Principals and School Leaders in South Carolina Fall 2021 At the heart of every great school is a great leader. In the context of school improvement, the role of the principal becomes even more important. Increasing access to great leadership has to be central to any turnaround effort. In fall 2020, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) a $2.5 million grant, in partnership with the University of South Carolina (UofSC) and the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED) . The aim of the three-year Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant is to build and accelerate the leadership capacity of 150 South Carolina principals and school leaders in supporting science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM) and social-emotional learning for students. The grant supports principal coaching and training, with a focus on advancing equity for all students. The project will impact approximately 58,000 students, over half of whom meet the state’s criteria for being considered in poverty. Educational leadership research has consistently shown the importance of principals to the academic success of students1, and students in schools led by high-performing principals gain nearly three additional months of learning in math and reading each year.2 Effective principals establish a culture of high standards, trust, professional development, and support for both teachers and students.3 However, principals often need support to provide this type of leadership, and that is particularly true for those in underserved communities.4 The federal SEED grant program provides funding to implement evidencebased practices that increase school leader effectiveness. NIET is partnering with districts across South Carolina, along with the University of South Carolina and the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, to create the South Carolina Principal Leadership Network (SCPLN) . Through this initiative, 150 school leaders will participate in a two-year cohort-based program of high-quality virtual professional development in STEM and social-emotional learning, coupled with quarterly on-site coaching and networking opportunities through virtual communities of practice. The training is rooted in evidence-based practices that accelerate student achievement growth and is tailored to the needs of participating schools. ” “The SCPLN has been a wonderful experience this year. It has provided me with many opportunities to reflect with other principals on the needs of our students, staff, and my professional needs. The community of practice gave me real-time support with needs in my building and was a unique experience to brainstorm with other principals around the state. The on-site coaching with an NIET leader took the learning from the modules and provided actionable steps to deliver in the classroom.” Dr. Deborah Moore, Bridges Preparatory School 1Grissom et al., 2021; Grissom & Loeb, 2011; Hallinger, 2011; McKibben, 2013; Papa, 2007; Papa et al., 2002; Rampey et al., 2009 2Grissom et al., 2021 3 Burkhauser, 2017; Grissom et al., 2021; Youngs & King, 2002 4 Levin et al., 2020 During summer 2021, NIET senior specialists led training for more than 100 SCPLN school leaders. Goal 1: Create new, sustainable Principal Leadership Networks for 150 school leaders serving in underserved communities over the duration of the grant. SCPLN is supporting school leaders in underserved communities through a two-year program that includes three cohorts, each comprising at least 50 school leaders. As of November 2021, 106 school leaders from 53 schools across five districts have participated. The leadership experience levels of participating school leaders vary, ranging from 0 to 22 years. Approximately half (55%) of the current participants are female. Sixty percent of participants identify as white and 40% identify as Black. On

FAQs

What is the SEED grant and who received it?

In fall 2020, the U.S. Department of Education awarded NIET a $2.5 million SEED grant in partnership with the University of South Carolina and BranchED.

How does SCPLN support the 150 principals and school leaders?

SCPLN provides a two-year, cohort-based virtual program in STEM and social-emotional learning, plus quarterly on-site coaching and networking through virtual communities of practice.

What are the main program goals?

Goal 1 focuses on creating sustainable principal leadership networks for leaders in underserved communities; Goal 2 builds instructional leadership capacity through quarterly virtual training and personalized on-site coaching.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West