PROFILE OF REBECCA A. THESSIN

Rebecca Thessin is currently a doctoral student in the Urban Superintendents Program (USP) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in History and her teaching certification at Yale University, she gained experience as a high school Social Studies teacher in Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia. Later, as the Aide to the Deputy Superintendent in the Boston Public Schools, Rebecca coordinated principal professional development sessions, taught principals how to use school data to set improvement goals and influence instruction, and served on the Design Team for a new alternative high school. She subsequently earned a Master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the School Leadership program, during which she served as a principal intern and acquired principal certification at the elementary, middle and high school levels. While training to be a district leader as a member of USP, she earned her second Master of Education degree from Harvard in Education Policy and Management. Her doctoral research focuses on schools’ use of data to improve instruction.

HARVARD URBAN SUPERINTENDENTS PROGRAM

Baseline Characteristics of an Effective USP Internship

1) A full-time, six-month internship for the student intern;

2) Commitment by the superintendent to permit the student intern to: a) “shadow” the superintendent on a full-time basis for the initial eight weeks of the internship and on a 40 percent basis thereafter; and b) frequently debrief with the superintendent throughout the six months of the internship;

3) Regular inclusion of the student intern by the superintendent in his/her interactions with school board members, parents and community leaders, central office administrators, principals, union presidents, teachers, students, and other key influencers, including regular inclusion of the student in executive sessions of the board;

4) Systematic exposure of the student intern to the business side of the superintendency, e.g., budget planning and union contract negotiation;

5) Opportunities selected and structured by the superintendent for the student intern to assume leadership responsibility for projects of high-priority to the school district, with one of the projects to be designated the “change project.” As the primary leadership development project, the change project should address a district priority and require the student intern to expand significantly the knowledge and skills s/he needs to be an effective superintendent;

6) Provision of at least one opportunity for the student intern to: a) speak in a high-stakes public setting (e.g., to give a formal, prepared presentation or to be interviewed by a reporter); and b) undergo a mock interview for a superintendency conducted by school board members or other appropriate individuals;

7) The selection and arrangement by the superintendent of a culminating internship experience wherein the student intern “sits in the superintendent’s seat,” e.g., takes the superintendent’s role in preparing for and carrying out a series of cabinet meetings or, ideally, a school board meeting;

8) Participation by the superintendent at the December internship seminar mentioned above, from Friday, December 7, through Saturday, December 8;

9) Regular communication between the superintendent and USP; and

10) Appropriate administrative support of the student intern by the school district, including the provision to the student of an appropriate title, the formal introduction of the student by the superintendent to key individuals and groups in the school district, access to clerical staff, a computer, a printer, and similar support services, and the provision of office space in close proximity to the superintendent’s office.