National Principal Supervisors Academy
A fellowship program that empowers system-level leaders to drive excellence across multiple schools.
Program Overview
The National Principal Supervisors Academy (NPSA) enables system-level instructional leaders to effectively lead change across multiple schools through the coaching and development of school-based leaders. In this year-long program, leaders learn alongside colleagues from across the country, participate in coaching labs, receive 1:1 advising, and complete job-embedded assessments to ensure the learning sticks.
Designed for: Principal supervisors and other system-level instructional leaders—including Instructional Superintendents, Chief Academic Officers, and Heads of Leadership Development.
Key Learning Areas
In highly effective school systems, principal supervisors play an essential role in improving instructional leadership across multiple schools.
In this program, participants will learn to lead principals to strengthen their skills in the following areas:
- Centering the Student: Strengthening awareness and strategies to systematically increase opportunity and remove barriers for students.
- Instructional Rigor: Building deep knowledge of the rigor required by grade level standards, and supporting school leaders in aligned instructional planning that meets students’ needs.
- Coaching: Building skills to coach principals to be more effective instructional leaders.
- Data-Informed Instruction: Leading principal teams in effectively internalizing lessons, analyzing data, and responding to student learning needs.
- Strategic Planning: Supporting principals to identify priority areas and highest leverage actions to drive meaningful improvement across schools.
Program Features
- Year-long program
- Hybrid Summer Intensive (2 half days virtually, 5 days in person)
- Three Intersessions (2 in-person, 1 virtual)
- Cohort-based learning and collaboration
- Job-embedded assessments tied to real leadership work
- Practice and coaching opportunities with personalized feedback
Optional: Implementation Coaching
School districts can deepen their leaders’ learning with additional support from a Relay trained leadership coach.
This service includes:
• Eight (8) hours of virtual coaching
• An in-person site visit to collaboratively observe school culture and classroom instruction
• A team debrief and strategic planning session
• A focused exploration of one instructional priority, such as starting the new year strong, deepening academic rigor, ensuring student success, or planning for the year ahead
Request Seats for NPSA
Ready to sign up your leaders? Complete the Interest Form for School Year 2026-2027 programs.
Relay has given me the structure to utilize when planning for school success. Relay is a game changer."
- Shelly Butler
Shelly Butler's Story
Shelly Butler is a leadership coach who works with principals and assistant principals in Edgewood ISD, located in San Antonio Texas. She serves as a thought partner for campus leaders, meeting with them regularly to ensure focus on instructional priorities and to problem-solve around instructional and operational challenges.
Ms. Butler learned how to conduct effective Weekly Data Meetings as a participant in NPSA. She shares that Weekly Data Meetings “have made a huge difference” for her leaders, noting that the principals that implemented them consistently saw student gains on the Texas state test, the STAAR, within their first year of use. After some practice, she says, most elementary school leaders have gotten the Weekly Data Meeting process down well. Notably, she says, “The teachers' response has blown them [the principals] away. Teachers are excited to participate and look forward to improving student performance.”
Here is how Ms. Butler described her Relay experience:
“Relay has given me the structure to utilize when planning for school success. Attending training both in person and virtually has given me the opportunity to learn from this team of leaders. I've learned many best practices that I am currently implementing to increase student achievement at our schools. I've learned structures to use when analyzing district-wide data with other leaders to create processes for improved school leader performance which in turn will promote improved student performance. Relay is a game changer.”
Shelly Butler
Senior Director of Instructional Leadership
Edgewood ISD, San Antonio, TX
Alumna, National Principal Supervisor Academy 2024
Program Schedule
The National Principal Supervisors Academy (NPSA) begins alongside the National Principal Academy Fellowship (NPAF) with the Summer Intensive, enabling alignment within teams.
Summer Intensive
June Cohort | New Orleans, LA
June 16-18, 2026
Virtual Sessions
Participants will attend two , half-day sessions in this date range
June 22-26, 2026
In-Person Sessions
Intersessions
Oct. 15-16, 2026
Intersession 1 | New Orleans
Jan. 11 and 25, 2027
Intersession 2 | Virtual
May 5-6, 2027
Intersession 3 | To be Determined
Program Cost
$16,500 per participant
The program fee covers:
- High-quality professional development from experienced leaders
- All course materials, licensing fees, and online access to electronic versions of resources
- Hotel room for in-person session dates
- Breakfast, lunch, and snacks during in-person sessions
Additional costs apply for the optional implementation coaching.
Deadlines
Partner organizations should request seats for their leaders by the following deadlines. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and may fill up quickly.
Seat Request Form Opens: January 15, 2026
Early Bird Discount Deadline: April 15, 2026
Seat Request Deadline: May 22, 2026
Ready to request seats for SY 2026-27? Complete an interest form.