Student Services Leadership Institute for NEW and ASPIRING Directors and Assistant Superintendents
ACCEPT Collaborative is pleased to offer a NEW leadership institute for public district Student Services and Special Education Directors, independent of the MA DESE. Districtwide Assistant Directors of Special Education or Student Services who aspire to become districtwide directors or administrators may also be interested in this Leadership Institute. This NEW Student Services Leadership Institute (SSLI) has been designed to reflect current challenges, is application-focused, and has considered input and feedback from our conversations with practitioners in various professional circles across the state.
This year-long 40-hour Leadership Institute will begin with an INTRODUCTORY seminar in the spring of 2026. The first seminar date will provide information to help directors conclude the current school year tasks and prepare for the critical summer work to establish a solid foundation for the next school year.
The summer of 2026 will offer one full-day and one half-day session to delve more deeply into the important work of entry plan development and implementation of further specific needs, and how to work within the context of district strategic/other plans to ensure the vulnerable populations you are charged to oversee have their unique needs met.
The fall of 2026 will offer TWO half-day sessions that combine topic-specific presentations and small-group work designed around problems of practice related to the presentation topics; you will get to choose which problem of practice is most interesting.
The winter of 2027 will offer TWO half-day sessions that combine topic-specific presentations and small-group work designed around problems of practice related to the presentation topics; you will get to choose which problem of practice is most interesting. The winter sessions will be offered via Zoom to eliminate the risk of hazardous winter weather travel conditions.
The spring of 2027 will offer one full day and one half-day session that focus on a combination of topic-specific presentations and small group work designed around problems of practice related to the presentation topic; you will choose which problem of practice is of most interest.
See Below for Learning Module Topics in More Detail
Presenters: Coordinated through ACCEPT Collaborative with various guest presenters and experts from the field.
Participants: Student Services and Special Education Directors or Assistant Superintendents who are NEW to the role (a professional in a districtwide special education leadership role for less than 3 years); Districtwide Assistant Directors of Special Education or Student Services who aspire to become districtwide directors or administrators
Location: In-Person at ACCEPT Education Collaborative in Natick and centrally located PD spaces. A few live sessions will be offered over Zoom.
Dates & Times: Spring 2026 – Spring 2027 – View Dates & Times
Earn: 40 PDPs
Cost: $2500
Registration Deadline: April 1st – Registrations will be accepted beyond April 1st if spaces are still available, but priority seating will be given to those who register by April 1st.
Learning Module Topic Highlights Include:
- Leadership Development and Challenges (Leadership Development is an underlying principle of every seminar and learning module)
- Entry Plan Development and translation of data into actionable plans
- Project Planning/ Developing Strategic Action Plans to Effect Change
- Communication and Collaboration with key stakeholders (School Committees, Finance Committees, Leadership Teams, Families and Communities, SEPACs, Collateral/Interagency relationships, etc.)
- Productive Relationships with districtwide and building-based leaders
- Identification, Deployment, and Development of Talent
- Inclusive Practices: Tools and resources for leaders to establish and implement appropriately resourced and varied models and practices within the context of an inclusive school-district
- Discipline of students with disabilities and health impairments; navigating the various laws and supporting other administrators to get it right the first time
- What do I do when…? Common critical problems directors encounter in their role (This SSLI will assign a mentor to every participant, who will be available for coaching between scheduled seminars.)
- Legal updates; understanding changes to various regulations and the impact of case law decisions and rulings upon practice
- LEA Responsibility: Who is responsible for the PROGRAMMATIC and FISCAL implications of various residency and school choice/enrollment situations
- Title IX (Conducting proper investigations, report contents, recommendations, etc.)
- Title VI (EL-ML education programs, resource development, staffing, coordination, and collaboration with special education plans and staff)
- The Annual Calendar of the SS Director (Understanding the cyclic nature of the role and the predictable demands at certain times)
- McKinney-Vento Requirements and tips for navigating delicate situations
- Health Programs, Protocols, resource development, staffing, etc.
- Fiscal Planning, Budget development, monitoring, grants, and communication of priorities within the framework of budgets; (including proportionate share, MOE, Circuit Breaker, and the unexpected)
- Integrated monitoring, Indicators, and other regulatory reporting requirements