“Leadership wasn’t on my radar. But my principal pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re a leader.’ That changed everything.” – Marion County School Leader
Marion County, Florida, is home to more than 45,000 students across nearly 50 schools. Like many large districts, it’s navigating the complex challenges of student needs, staff retention, and school improvement. But in this forward-thinking school system, leadership isn’t left to chance. It’s cultivated—deliberately, systemically, and from the inside out.
At the heart of this strategy is a Grow-Your-Own model, powered by local facilitators, action learning, and a clear focus on systemwide coherence. From the outset, the initiative has been anchored by a strategic partnership with the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL), one of the nation’s most widely used, research-based professional learning programs for school leaders. And now, three years in, not only has the district seen early indicators of student progress in math and ELA, but there’s also a deeper cultural shift underway.
Marion County offers a clear message to districts everywhere: leadership development done right is a system-changer. Read the their full story here or learn more about the NISL program here.
