Pipeline Development
Running schools is hard. Growing the next generation of school leaders doesn’t have to be.
Marshall Leadership Institute works alongside school communities to co-create leadership pipelines that are grounded in best practices, customized to their specific needs, and embedded into their existing systems. The result? A leadership program that supports the entire career journey — from the moment a teacher first considers becoming a school leader, through the early stages of leadership, to the time they’re ready to lead change beyond the walls of a single school.
Unlocking Leadership in Your School Community

Alex Horowitz
Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, Impact Public Schools
“We were grateful to have the Marshall Leadership Institute enhance the development of some of our aspiring leaders. Those who went through the program brought a new lens to their work with other adults, were increasingly reflective and driven to make a change, and developed confidence in themselves as educational leaders. We hired all three into formal leadership roles!”
Case Study: Building Internal Interest in School Leadership
DSST Public Schools — the largest public charter management organization in Colorado — is the leading STEM open-enrollment school network in the nation. DSST historically had not allocated resources to a comprehensive and aligned internal leadership pipeline in the past. In 2022-23, supported by funding from the Charter School Growth Fund, Marshall Leadership Institute was hired to provide expertise in building pipelines and to help DSST Leadership quickly design and launch a thriving leadership pipeline.
In 2022-23, supported by funding from the Charter School Growth Fund, Marshall Leadership Institute was hired to help DSST Leadership identify and prioritize goals and leverage best practices in leadership development to build a thriving pipeline. First, Marshall Leadership Institute conducted a needs assessment, including stakeholder interviews and data analysis. Due to the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, building the interest of DSST teachers in school leadership was the area of highest need in DSST’s pipeline. Next, Marshall Leadership Institute supported the DSST team’s strategic planning to identify a key group of teachers to work with and to set goals for their new pipeline leadership programming.
Ultimately, Marshall Leadership Institute designed DSST’s first pipeline building learning experience. Marshall Leadership Institute combined its signature problem-based learning approach with DSST’s goals, rubrics, and culture to create a customized curriculum. The curriculum included workshops and problem-based learning sessions on how to set up new teaching teams for success, communicate high expectations, build trust, lean into conflict, and have courageous conversations around performance. Additionally, the curriculum included personal narrative storytelling so participants could share their values and motivations for being school leaders.
In collaboration with DSST’s newly founded Leadership Development Team, Marshall Leadership Institute began facilitator training by equipping DSST facilitators to lead the program in perpetuity. In alignment with gradual release principles, Marshall Leadership Institute modeled for the DSST team how to recruit and interview program participants, build the first cohort, and then facilitate implementation of the curriculum.
The result? All participants built skills in leading teams of teachers through influence and 88% of participants expressed interest in pursuing school leadership positions. Marshall Leadership Institute is now working with DSST to continue the gradual release process to ensure DSST staff can lead the program sustainably into the future.
“It is so hard when teaching to get out of the day-to-day routine within my own school. The cohort experience provided me an opportunity to learn, grow, and reflect with other like-minded people looking to take the next step in their careers. I have learned more about myself in these past few months than I ever have in my professional career. I have also learned the leadership skills that I never would have acquired if I did not join.”
– Melissa Dubay, recently promoted to Dean, DSST