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Institute for District Administrators (IDA) for District Level Leaders

Who is it for?

The Institute for District Administrators is designed to support experienced district administrators with the knowledge, skills, and characteristics needed to serve on and lead highly effective district teams. District-level administrators, defined as superintendents’ designees, assistant superintendents, directors, coordinators, supervisors, and other district staff are eligible to enroll. 

Program Overview

The Institute for District Administrators (IDA) is a statewide leadership development experience designed for district-level leaders—including superintendents’ designees, assistant superintendents, directors, coordinators, supervisors, and other district staff. IDA develops the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and leadership capacity needed to serve on and lead highly effective district teams. 

IDA is grounded in instructional leadership, central office transformation, personalization, collective leadership, and equitable access to effective instruction. The program challenges district leaders to move beyond managing departments and responsibilities toward intentionally designing systems, structures, relationships, and supports that enable principals and schools to improve teaching and learning. IDA is structured as four two-day sessions delivered over approximately seven months, combining face-to-face learning, job-embedded application, reflection, collaboration, inquiry, and networking. The current SCDE program includes small- and large-group discussions, teamwork, simulations, scenarios, self-reflection, feedback, problem-solving, inquiry cycles, case studies, study teams, and networking.

IDA is intentionally designed around four interconnected dimensions of district leadership:  

1. Effective Leadership 

Know Yourself. Lead Yourself. Lead Others. 

Participants begin by examining who they are as leaders. Through leadership assessments such as MBTI Step II, Communication Style, Change Style, and the Leadership Practices Inventory, participants explore how their preferences influence communication, decision-making, relationships, leadership behaviors, and team effectiveness. The curriculum moves participants from self-awareness to intentional leadership action. Participants use assessment insights to identify leadership strengths, blind spots, and areas for growth, and develop a Leadership Action Plan using STOP, START, and CONTINUE behaviors. 

2. Quality Teaching and Learning Support 
Transform Central Office Work into Instructional Leadership. 

IDA examines district leaders' role in creating the conditions necessary for high-quality teaching and learning. Participants examine how central offices support principals as instructional leaders, assess the responsiveness of district services, and consider how departments align their work around school and student needs. Participants explore central office transformation as a fundamental shift from traditional, compliance-oriented work to a primary focus on supporting high-quality, equitable teaching and learning across schools. 

3. System-Wide Improvement 

Move From Tinkering to Transformation. 

IDA equips district leaders with improvement strategies they can apply directly to problems of practice. Participants participate in a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle.  Each participant identifies an authentic district, department, or school problem and uses a PDSA cycle to test a change, collect evidence, study results, and determine next steps. 

4. Clear and Collaborative Relationships 

Leadership Happens Through Relationships. 

District transformation requires more than strategies and systems. It requires trust, collaboration, psychological safety, accountability, and collective ownership. IDA intentionally builds a professional learning community in which participants establish norms, develop accountability partnerships, share experiences, examine challenges, and learn from one another. The curriculum specifically calls for participants to identify cohort members' backgrounds, experiences, and strengths and use those differences to foster collaboration and networking. 

What are people saying?

The strongest evidence of IDA's impact comes from the experiences of participating leaders. 

IDA Affects Leadership 

Participants describe IDA as an opportunity to understand themselves more deeply, recognize blind spots, and become more intentional leaders. 

  • "IDA allowed me to understand myself and be aware of blind spots, and I needed an army to surround me to help me see through those areas." 

Another participant reflected: 

  • "IDA was influential in helping me grow as a leader. I learned more about myself and reflected on my leadership style." 

Participants also reported that the assessments helped them understand leadership styles, team interactions, personality traits, and how those factors influence their daily work. 

One participant summarized the experience simply: 

  • "My experience in IDA has been one of the most impactful leadership professional development experiences ever." 

This corresponds directly with the IDA curriculum's emphasis on MBTI, leadership practices, self-awareness, reflection, and leadership action planning. 

IDA Creates a Network, Not Just a Cohort 

One of the program's distinguishing features is the professional network participants build. 

Participants described continuing to communicate, collaborate, problem-solve, and support one another long after the formal cohort experience. 

  • "A cohort of us speak regularly and check on each other." 
  • "I loved my cohort, and I am still in contact with several of the leaders from the session." 
  • "The connections made across the state have been excellent. At every meeting, I came back with new ideas or information to share." 

This is intentional. IDA establishes accountability partnerships and cohort norms designed to promote psychological safety, engagement, collaboration, and ongoing professional growth.

Why choose IDA?

IDA is an investment in the leader, the organization, and ultimately every student the district serves. It moves beyond traditional professional development by creating an experience where district leaders examine who they are, strengthen how they lead, confront authentic problems of practice, and apply what they learn to transform their organizations. At the end of IDA, participants leave with more than new knowledge—they leave with greater self-awareness, practical tools, trusted colleagues, actionable strategies, and a clearer pathway from leadership practice to student outcomes. 

IDA creates leaders prepared not simply to respond to the challenges facing their districts, but to build the capacity, relationships, systems, and conditions needed to meet those challenges with purpose and intentionality. The impact reaches beyond the individual participant: it reaches departments, principals, schools, teachers, and students. 

IDA is where leadership development becomes leadership action—and where leadership action becomes system transformation. 

IDA: Know Yourself. Strengthen Others. Transform Systems. Improve Outcomes.

What do you need to know?

Each session of IDA runs from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm with an hour for lunch. Superintendent or designee permission is required prior to session one and attendance is required for all sessions. Participants are eligible for 80 renewal credits upon completion of all sessions and required work. Participant/school/district are responsible for travel and/or hotel fee, if applicable.

There is a fee associated with this course.

South Carolina Department of Education memo

For additional information, please see the registration page or contact Dr. Gerard Edwards, gedwards@ed.sc.gov, 803-896-0224

Cohort 30 

IDA 30 Registration

  • May 21, 2026 (virtual orientation)
  • June 9 - 10, 2026, Dr. Gilbert G. Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
  • September 3 - 4, 2026, South Carolina Department of Education, 849 Learning Lane, West Columbia, SC 29172
  • October 27 - 28, 2026, Dr. Gilbert G. Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
  • January 21 - 22, 2027, South Carolina Department of Education, 849 Learning Lane, West Columbia, SC 29172
Application Deadline: May 12, 2026
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Cohort 31 

IDA 31 Registration

  • November 12, 2026 (virtual orientation)
  • December 8 - 9, 2026, Dr. Gilbert G. Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
  • February 9 - 10, 2027, Dr. Gilbert G. Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
  • April 8 - 9, 2027, South Carolina Department of Education, 849 Learning Lane, West Columbia, SC 29172
  • June 8 - 9, 2027, Dr. Gilbert G. Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
  • Application deadline: October 31, 2026
Application Deadline: October 31, 2026