Friday, October 11, 2024
The RP Group

 LFM Academies

The LFM Academy Experience
1. Academy Kick-Off Participants will kick off the Academy by learning what to expect, familiarize themselves with the LFM Canvas course, and meet cohort members, facilitators, and coaches. Each team will also have a dedicated session with their assigned coach.
2. Onboarding Onboarding involves online pre-academy preparation activities. In partnership with their coaches, teams will engage in activities like team development, leadership exploration, and refining their project plans.
3. In-Person Convenings During three in-person convenings, participants will explore leadership concepts and broaden their knowledge, and skills, through readings, discussions, interactive exercises, project work, and networking with other teams.
4. Between Convenings Teams will participate in monthly virtual meetings with their coach to ensure that learning is applied to real-world situations. These sessions will explore a range of topics with input from participants, and provide opportunities to discuss how they are applying the Academy concepts to their team project and daily work.
5. Sustainability Planning Teams will work closely with their coaches in a final series of virtual meetings to develop a sustainability plan for their teams’ projects and their ongoing leadership development.

Overview

Welcome to the Leading from the Middle (LFM) Academy. This dynamic Academy is more than just a leadership course—it’s a journey of growth, collaboration, and innovation.

Over the course of 15 months, your college’s cross-functional team—composed of tenured and adjunct academic and counseling faculty, administrators, classified professionals, and institutional researchers—will immerse itself in a rich blend of virtual and face-to-face experiences (for specific details, refer to graphic). Members of each team will gain new perspectives, hone their leadership skills, and forge connections with like-minded peers who are meaningfully driving systemic change at colleges across the California Community Colleges system.

LFM is a dedicated space to cultivate the leadership mindsets and strategies necessary to champion equity-focused reforms, close achievement gaps, and create an inclusive, student-centered educational environment. As you progress through the Academy, you will not only apply what you learn to real-world projects, making a tangible impact on your campus, but you will also be guided by experienced facilitators and coaches—LFM alumni who bring invaluable insights. Together, you will navigate the complexities of institutional change, utilizing evidence-based decision-making and innovative leadership practices to achieve your goals.

LFM Curriculum

The LFM curriculum will serve as your roadmap on this transformative journey, guiding you through the essential elements of effective middle leadership. Carefully crafted by and for leaders within the California Community Colleges system, this curriculum is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of leadership both now and in the future. You’ll explore a wide range of topics such as the following:

  • Why Lead? The Case for Middle Leadership

  • Collective and Individual Equity-Minded Leadership Identity

  • Making the Case/Using Evidence

  • Using Data for Decision-Making to Improve Student Success

  • Understanding and Analyzing Institutional Cultures for Successful Leadership

  • Communicating Successfully

  • Building Teams and Coalitions

  • Engaging Resistance

  • Using Design Tools 

  • Momentum Mapping

  • Taking Risks/Failing Successfully

  • Building a Data-Informed Campus Culture

Academy Outcomes

The Academy’s outcomes are designed to create lasting change, focusing on three key dimensions: individual leadership development, collective leadership development, and campus-based capacity building. These outcomes are as follows:

  • Formulate and articulate a collective and individual equity-minded leadership identity

  • Map the connection and relationship among institutional needs, effective leadership, and equitable student success

  • Create sustainable professional relationships in which peers share ideas 

  • Identify data, research, and other forms of evidence to spark courageous and explicit conversations to inform and prioritize transformative institutional changes that address systemic racism and social inequities

  • Apply data, research, and other forms of evidence to make informed decisions that advance transformative change efforts toward more equitable outcomes at the participant’s institution

  • Identify ways to measure a change in achievement and equity gaps

  • Develop strategies to sustain and support their ongoing leadership development

  • Identify a project aligned with their college’s strategic priorities that advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism work at their institution

  • Implement or continue to advance an identified project

  • Create a sustainability plan for the project to continue after the conclusion of LFM

  • Increase the number of middle leaders with the necessary skills to create the changes to redress systemic barriers and empower historically marginalized students to realize their educational goals.

  • Advance a strategic priority that increases equitable student success and/or institutional transformation.

 How to Apply to the 2025–26 Academies

The RP Group invites your college to apply for one of two LFM Academies offered in 2025–26! Each Academy has capacity for 12 college teams. Join us for an exciting journey of collaboration, growth, and transformation. Don’t miss this opportunity to build your college’s leadership capacity by sending a team to engage in leadership professional development. Each team member will enhance their leadership skills, work on impactful projects, and connect with peers from across the state. Apply now to be part of a dynamic community dedicated to student success!

Leading from the Middle Academy I

  • February 7, 2025, 10:00 am–1:00 pm | Virtual Academy kick-off

  • Early February through mid-April 2025 | Virtual Onboarding; monthly meetings with LFM Coach

  • May 1–3, 2025 | In-person convening

  • September 19–21, 2025 | In-person convening

  • March 5–7, 2026 | In-person convening

  • March–April 2026 | Sustainability planning (virtual); monthly meetings with LFM Coach

  • April 24, 2026, 10:00 am–1:00 pm | Virtual end-of-Academy convening

Leading from the Middle Academy II

  • February 21, 2025, 10:00 am–1:00 pm | Virtual Academy kick-off

  • Mid-February through April 2025| Virtual Onboarding; monthly meetings with LFM Coach

  • May 15–17, 2025 | In-person convening

  • October 2–4, 2025 | In-person convening

  • March 19–21, 2026 | In-person convening

  • Mid-March through early May 2026 | Sustainability planning (virtual); monthly meetings with LFM Coach

  • May 8, 2026, 10:00 am–1:00 pm | Virtual end-of-Academy convening

The cost per college team (up to 6 team members) is $6,000. This fee includes the following:

  • An LFM coach who will work with your college for the duration of the program (15 months)

  • In-person and synchronous facilitation during all activities

  • Tools and resources

  • Accommodations and meals at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA, for all three in-person convenings

Your college will be responsible for your team’s travel costs to/from the Mission Inn. 

If the Academy fee prohibits your college from participating, please contact Ireri Valenzuela, Director of the Leading from the Middle Program, at professionaldevelopment@rpgroup.org.

To be considered for one of two LFM Statewide Academies for 2025–26, please identify a team lead who will complete and submit the application on behalf of your team. In addition, teams will need to attach a Letter of Support signed by a sponsoring administrator. A sponsoring administrator should be the appropriate high-level administrator (vice president, college president, and/or department dean), depending on your team’s project, scope, and focus.

We highly encourage colleges to send diverse teams, including members from various positions and areas within the college, such as adjunct/tenured and counseling faculty, administrators, classified professionals, and institutional researchers. Other considerations might include individuals from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and individuals with different gender identities and expressions. LFM teams are limited to six members for in-person convenings. Please contact us at professionaldevelopment@rpgroup.org if you need guidance with team selection.

Application Due Date

The final submission date for applications is October 21, 2024.

Application Checklist

  • Completed application form

  • Letter of Support

  • Project Description. Please note: the project must be in alignment with the CCCCO Vision 2030 priorities (these are listed in the application).

  • Ensure team members have reviewed the application and Academy schedule and are committed to attending the in-person convenings and actively participating in all other Academy activities.

To Apply: Complete the 2025–26 application form. If you would like to plan for your application using a paper version of the form as a reference, you can download a PDF copy.

Q: Is participation in all components of the academy required?

A: Yes, full participation in all components of the Academy is mandatory. This includes the virtual kick-off, onboarding meetings, in-person and virtual convenings, sustainability planning sessions, and the closing virtual convening. While we understand that conflicts may occur, we strongly encourage participants to prioritize attendance at all scheduled events. Completion certificates will be awarded to those who meet these commitments.

Q: Will there be a Zoom option if I cannot attend an in-person convening?

A: Unfortunately, no. We previously attempted to provide a Zoom option for those unable to attend in person, but managing both in-person and virtual participants impacted the overall experience for everyone. However, some college teams have successfully included remote team members via Zoom during team-specific activities.

Q: Is there an additional time commitment outside of scheduled academy meetings and convenings?

A: Absolutely. To maximize the impact of the program, participating teams are expected to dedicate time outside of LFM activities to advance their projects and complete academy assignments. This commitment is crucial for your team’s success.

Q: Do I need to stay at the convening venue?

A: We strongly recommend staying at the convening venue. Some of the most impactful conversations and community building occur in the evenings, often over informal gatherings. These moments can be just as valuable as the scheduled sessions. However, the choice of where to stay is ultimately yours.

Q: Can we have different people, not from the original team, attend the convenings?

A: We highly discourage changing team membership once the academy begins. Doing so can disrupt both your college’s team dynamics and the overall flow of the LFM academy. Continuity within your team is crucial for maintaining a cohesive and effective learning experience.

 Participating Teams

The 2025–26 LFM Academy will begin in February 2025.

We are honored that 74 of the 116 California community colleges have participated in Leading from the Middle (LFM) between 2013 (LFM’s inception) and 2022. One hundred and seventy teams have completed the program, with 931 instructional and counseling faculty, mid-level administrators, classified staff, and institutional researchers from these colleges completing at least one LFM academy. In 2019 and 2020, LFM offered a customized program for the Guided Pathways Regional Coordinators. LFM colleges included (click here for a full list of colleges).