M.A.S.S. Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars (ASLS)
A Leadership Program for Assistant Superintendents and Other Central Office Administrators
Assistant Superintendents hold an essential leadership position in a district. The primary goal of the Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars (ASLS) is to support Assistant Superintendents as they navigate their first few years in the role. ASLS II and III also serve Assistant Superintendents and other central office administrators with significant experience in their role but have not been in ASLS previously. The program welcomes all central office leaders. Each year, directors of curriculum, business managers, pupil services directors, and personnel directors bring a diverse array of roles and perspectives to enrich the conversations.
ASLS (Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars) is designed for new Assistant Superintendents and other Central Office Administrators, such as Directors of Teaching & Learning, Student Services, Human Resources, and Finance. The primary goal of the program is to support these leaders as they navigate their first years in the role. We highlight the Four Frames of Leadership by Bolman and Deal and incorporate a strong focus on Equity to align with the M.A.S.S. REDI (Racial Equity Diversity and Inclusion) Strategy. We emphasize the importance of a strong professional culture, offering highly interactive sessions that apply theory to practice, inviting participants to share successes and challenges as we lead forward into the 2025-2026 school year.
ASLS is co-led by Dr. Christine Francis, who is now in her 12th year leading the program, and Dr. Lorraine Tacconi-Moore, who is entering year 5 as a co-leader. Christine is a former Assistant Superintendent, current Co-Leader of the M.A.S.S. Assistant Superintendent Mentor Program, and member of the M.A.S.S. Equity Standing Committee. Lorraine is currently an educational consultant, focusing in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, and policy; as a former Assistant Superintendent in MA and Superintendent in NH, she brings significant leadership experience to the program. Other presenters will include Dr. Jon Saphier (Research for Better Teaching) and additional speakers and panelists to be determined.
The program is designed as a hybrid cohort model to accomodate our Assistant Superintendents who live in different parts of the state. We are offering a Central/Western MA Cohort and an Eastern MA Cohort. Participants can choose locations and dates that are convenient to them, including the option to “mix and match” between the cohorts to better accomodate their schedules. All in person meetings will be held in Boylston and all virtual meetings will be held on zoom.
For more information, please contact Christine (cmfrancis82@gmail.com) or Lorraine (ltacconimoore@gmail.com).
Dates/Locations for 2025-2026: (Sessions are in-person unless noted otherwise.)
Eastern MA cohort: 8/20 (9-11 remote), 9/24 (9-12), 10/23 (9-3, both cohorts), 11/19 (9-12), 12/10 (9-12), 01/14 (9-11 remote), 02/11 (9-11 remote), 03/11 (9-3, both cohorts), 04/15 (9-3). 10/23 and 3/11 sessions are full-day in Boylston. Other locations TBD.
Central/Western MA cohort: 8/21(9-11 remote), 09/25 (9-12), 10/23 (9-3, both cohorts), 11/20(9-12), 12/11(9-12), 1/15(9-11 remote), 2/12(9-11 remote), 3/11(9-3, both cohorts), 4/16 (9-3). Location: Boylston.
ASLS II: Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars II is designed for those who have completed ASLS I and others who have significant experience as administrators in central office positions (e.g., curriculum, business, personnel, special education). The curriculum will focus on real-time solutions to leadership dilemmas. Work will also be grounded in an anchor text (The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle), articles, podcasts, videos, and discussion protocols as well as current issues district leaders face daily. Another important feature of ASLS II will be the continued peer network that serves participants outside the sessions.
ASLS III: Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars III is designed for those who have completed ASLS II and others who are very experienced administrators in central office positions (e.g., curriculum, business, personnel, special education) but have not participated in ASLS previously. The curriculum is entirely organic in nature and is determined by the participants through preliminary surveys and a first-session discussion. This seminar series features participant-led presentations, problem-of-practice protocols, articles, TED talks, and guest speakers.
Registration for ASLS 2025-2026
The Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminar is a leadership program for Assistant Superintendents and Other Central Office Administrators
Registration will be available in August. Please come back to register.