Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana is committed to a simple mission: supporting schools with demonstrated needs, which provide quality, values-based education to students in the Region. The organization takes a multi-pronged approach to provide that support and recently launched a new pilot program designed to empower Northwest Indiana educators with the tools they need to grow and improve their schools.
The initiative is called Leaders for Northwest Indiana and serves school principals in the Diocese of Gary throughout their first three years of leadership. Participants undergo a range of personalized workshops and coaching sessions while gaining access to a variety of professional resources that are crafted to help their school’s culture, encourage talent development, and build sustainable leadership practices.
“By equipping principals with skills to manage change, foster collaboration, and achieve strategic goals, the program directly enhances the learning environment within schools in the Diocese of Gary,” said Gisele Jones, director of scholarship programs & leadership development for Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana. “Research shows that effective school leadership drives student achievement, teacher retention, and positive school culture.”
Jones leads the program, which was co-designed and facilitated by Lorenza Pastrick, principal of Bishop Noll Institute. Feedback from principals and extensive research by Big Shoulders Fund showed an array of challenges – such as state policy changes and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – were creating turbulent waters for principals. The program takes a key first step in helping them navigate those waters by turning participants into a collaborative network, with each principal bringing a set of unique experiences and perspectives.
“I enjoyed hearing and seeing my colleague speak,” one participating principal said of the program. “It was practical and coming from someone that really understands the nature of our job.”
Leaders for Northwest Indiana balances that participant-led facilitation with expert guidance. It puts principals in the position to generate positive outcomes for their schools through actionable solutions.
“One session engaged principals in exploring strategies to deliver and receive feedback effectively,” Jones said. “By focusing on actionable and relationship-building approaches to feedback, participants developed tools to improve staff engagement and create a growth-oriented school culture.”
One of the most well-received sessions was a book study, where principals discussed “The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals” by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey. Insights from the book and the resulting discussions with fellow principals equipped participants with the tools to analyze school performance metrics such as test scores. Participants were then trained to use that data and create plans for achieving goals, such as improving students’ math proficiency rates. It was one way that Leaders for Northwest Indiana offered actionable solutions to real-world challenges.
“I took some great things away from the presenter that I was able to start using today,” one principal said. “I continue to appreciate the openness and safe environment that Big Shoulders Fund strives to provide for us all.”
Based on the positive feedback for Leaders for Northwest Indiana, Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana is planning to expand participation. Future sessions might include assistant principals and other key leaders from their network schools in the Diocese of Gary.
“This expansion will not only broaden the program’s reach, it will also strengthen leadership pipelines across the Diocese," Jones said. “Additionally, welcoming new principals into the program will foster fresh perspectives and extend the collaborative network, creating a dynamic environment that supports both seasoned and emerging leaders.”To learn more about Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana and how it is empowering educators across the Region, visit www.bigshouldersfund.org.
