Arkansas Leadership Academy

Master Principal Program

The Arkansas Leadership Academy’s (ALA) Master Principal Program (MPP) was established through the passage of Act 44 of the Second Extraordinary Session of the 2003 Arkansas General Assembly to provide “training programs and opportunities to expand the knowledge base and leadership skills of public school principals.” MPP consists of three phases. A school principal successfully completing all phases and demonstrating student academic growth in the top quartile is designated as a Master Principal by the Arkansas Leadership Academy and the State Board of Education, making them eligible for performance bonuses between $45,000 and $125,000.

Purpose and Design

Cohorts convene at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute throughout the year to explore the following elements of school leadership:

Instructional Leadership and Collective Efficacy
Stakeholder supports for students, staff, families, and community partners
Systems thinking and long-term sustainability

Program Requirements

This program requires a participant be a school principal of at least 1 year with preference given to 3 or more years and leads to the potential designation as an Arkansas Master Principal and financial incentives ($45,000 over 5 years; an additional $25,000 for principals serving in “High Needs” districts as defined by DESE). This program serves to grow building leaders’ capacity through the following focuses-

Phase 1: School mission, vision, and instructional leadership
Phase 2: Stakeholder supports (Students, Staff, Parents, School Communities)
Phase 3: Sustainability systems for continued improvement

Program Dates – 2025/2026

Master Principal Phase 1 Dates hosted at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain, Morrilton, AR:

Session 1: August 25-26
Session 2: October 21-23
Session 3: January 21-23
Session 4: May 12-14

Master Principal Phase 2 Dates hosted at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain, Morrilton, AR:

Session 1: September 10-12
Session 2: November 3-5
Session 3: April 1-3

Master Principal Phase 3 Dates hosted at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain, Morrilton, AR:

Session 1: September 17-19
Session 2: December 10-12
Session 3: April 29-May 1

For questions, please contact the Program Lead: Bradley Webber at BWebber@ArkansasLeadershipAcademy.org.