THE WORK:
Adopt a School Initiative
Building Brighter Futures
Menu
THE WORK:
Adopt a School Initiative
Building Brighter Futures
At times, it may feel like a daunting journey—building sustainable, impactful support for school’s growth is complex, resource-intensive, and can often pull your attention away from what matters most: empowering our students. Thankfully, through the Adopt a School Program by LEAD Collaborative, school leaders can find the tailored support they need, guided by experienced hands and a clear vision.
This guide will serve as a roadmap, offering insights into the adoption process, strategic planning, and the unique funding pathways designed for public schools in Puerto Rico: philanthropic partnerships, in-kind contributions, and leadership-focused development. By the end, you’ll feel ready to navigate your school’s path toward enhanced leadership, resource stability, and enriched learning environments, ensuring your students have every opportunity to thrive.
Adopt a School is more than a sponsorship—it’s a commitment to our school’s vision for success. Through this program, LEAD Collaborative is proud to help school leaders secure the resources, support, and knowledge they need to build resilient, vibrant schools.
Leadership Training
to empower principals and assistant principals.
Essential Resources
to support facilities, technology, and classroom needs.
Community Engagement
to build stronger, interconnected school environments.
Puerto Rico’s education system is facing a critical juncture, with over 400 schools closing in the past decade and 64% of students performing below grade level in reading and math (U.S. Department of Education, 2022). This data underscores the urgent need for systemic transformation to provide quality education and long-term support for schools. Stakeholders and nonprofit organizations are united in their commitment to drive this change, focusing on innovation, quality education, and effective leadership.
In August 2023, the United States Department of Education took a major step by initiating a plan for decentralizing the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE), launching the pilot phase in August 2024 in the Ponce region, which now operates as a Local Education Agency (LEA) with dedicated support. Nonprofits supporting the system, including LEAD Collaborative, are aligning their efforts, and the PRDE has been receptive to integrating this assistance to support school leaders and strengthen schools.
LEAD Collaborative is committed to being a key partner in these efforts, focusing on instructional leadership and school redesign to address the unique needs of each school community. In the face of decentralization, a robust local principal pipeline is essential to equip school leaders with the skills needed for autonomous management. LEAD has submitted a proposal to the USDE to establish a Leadership Institute, providing ongoing coaching to principals in the pilot LEA.
Supporting strong school leadership is crucial to achieving these goals. Research shows that schools with effective leadership experience a 10% improvement in student achievement within two years, 15% higher teacher retention, and a 20% increase in community engagement due to a positive school culture and effective management. By developing the leadership capacities of principals and assistant principals, LEAD is helping not only individual schools but entire communities, building a foundation for lasting educational success across Puerto Rico.
To advance this work, LEAD Collaborative is engaging with higher education institutions, inspired by the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipelines research, to refine school administration curricula to reflect the real needs of today’s school leaders. LEAD is also compiling data to encourage the PRDE to create assistant principal positions across the system and reevaluate staffing to increase direct school support. In partnership with ABRE PR and PRDE, LEAD is exploring ways to streamline data collection and sharing to provide principals with timely data for informed decision-making.
Through ongoing training, coaching, and collaboration, LEAD Collaborative is dedicated to empowering principals, who are at the forefront of Puerto Rico’s most challenging and essential educational work.
At LEAD Collaborative, we believe that transformative partnerships are built on shared values, vision, and goals. Our Adopt a School Program offers a unique opportunity for you to align your mission with the diverse needs of schools across Puerto Rico, creating a direct, positive impact on students, educators, and communities.
By partnering with us, you’re not just supporting a school—you’re empowering a school community to thrive. We carefully match you with a school that reflects your values and objectives, allowing you to contribute to areas that matter most to you, whether that’s enhancing leadership, supporting educational resources, or strengthening school culture.
Through this partnership, your vision for educational impact aligns with the school’s goals for student success, fostering an environment where both students and teachers feel supported and inspired. Together, we can address pressing needs and create long-lasting change, ensuring that every student has access to the quality education they deserve.
We invite you to join us in shaping the future of Puerto Rico’s education system. With our combined commitment and aligned vision, we can build resilient schools, inspire strong leadership, and foster communities where students and families thrive. Let’s create a brighter tomorrow, one school at a time.
Puerto Rico’s schools face significant challenges. A shortage of qualified leaders, insufficient funding, and disparities in student outcomes have left schools in urgent need of support. Through our Adopt a School initiative, you can sponsor the development of school leaders while contributing essential resources to meet each school’s unique needs.
With a funding model that relies 100% on philanthropic contributions and no government funding, LEAD Collaborative ensures that every dollar invested directly supports our mission. Your contribution can make a lasting impact by empowering school leaders to drive meaningful, systemic change across Puerto Rico.
Leadership plays a critical role in student success. Research by the Wallace Foundation indicates that principals account for 25% of a school’s impact on student learning. In Puerto Rico, where many schools face significant obstacles, strong leadership is essential to turning challenges into opportunities.
By sponsoring the leadership development of school principals and assistant principals, you are directly enhancing student success, supporting teacher retention, and strengthening school communities. Sponsorship bridges the leadership gap, equipping principals and assistant principals with the skills to foster positive learning environments and empower entire communities.
When you invest in leadership development for Puerto Rico’s school principals and assistant principals, you’re not only supporting individual schools—you’re building a foundation for long-term educational success that will impact generations to come.
Our year-long leadership program offers a tailored and comprehensive approach to supporting principals and assistant principals, providing a cost-effective alternative to similar U.S.-based leadership development initiatives. For examples:
Comprehensive training and coaching program specifically tailored for Puerto Rican principals and/or assistant principals.
Cost:
Principal Pipeline Initiative, a more expensive but widely recognized U.S.-based program.
Cost:
U.S.-based program offering leadership training for school administrators.
Cost:
