Charlotte tapped again to host NC Principal Fellows
For 31 years and counting, Cato College has been one of the homes to the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program (NCPFP), and the UNC System recently awarded the college over $4.5 million to continue that tradition for another six years.
NCPFP received 11 applications for grants that will be funded from Fiscal Year 2026 to FY32. The state provides funding for up to eight principal preparation programs through a highly selective process designed to ensure the highest quality preparation for our state’s future school leaders. Only half of these programs were selected as part of the FY26-32 term, with UNC Charlotte selected as one of those four.
The faculty committee that made this grant possible includes Charlotte’s NCPFP campus coordinator Debra Morris, as well as Dean Malcolm B. Butler, Associate Dean Tisha Greene, Kyle Cox, Mark D’Amico, Walter Hart, Jamie Kudlats, Rebecca Shore, Jim Watson, and Scarlett Zhang.
“We received an extraordinary set of applications, highlighting the rising caliber of leadership preparation programs across the state,” said Dr. Lauren Lampron, NCPFP director and chair of the NCPFP Commission. “We are excited for UNC Charlotte and look forward to the meaningful work ahead… No other state matches North Carolina’s commitment to its school leaders.”
In addition to Charlotte, the NCPFP host institutions include:
- Appalachian State University
- East Carolina University
- North Carolina Central University/North Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance
- NC State University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Western Carolina University
At its core, NCPFP is a competitive, merit-based scholarship loan program for persons of exceptional academic ability who have teaching or
relevant experience and want to enter administration in a North Carolina public school. Its overarching goals are to prepare a pipeline of effective principals and equip these candidates to positively impact student learning. Principal Fellows complete their Masters in School Administration at any of the eight institutions, with one year of academic study and another as a full-time administrative intern at a local school.
Morris shared more about the program. “At UNC Charlotte, Fellows receive professional development opportunities free of charge, such as crucial conversations training, attending the NC School Law Symposium, and racial equity institute training. [They also] have an executive coach who meets with them face-to-face once a month and has weekly contact to support them their first year on the job. Our instructors are former principals or practitioners who can speak from experience.
We also have incredible partnerships with the 11 school districts that make up the Southwest Education Alliance. With the new grant, we are adding Montgomery and Anson Counties as well. These school districts work closely with us to select solid leaders to be Fellows and choose effective school principals as mentors to our students… I believe what ultimately sets us apart is our commitment to our students to have them principal-ready upon graduation.”
When asked about how this program impacts actual schools in our community, she said she sees the work in action every time she visits second-year fellows in their internships. “Just this morning I stood alongside an intern who was screening students for safety as they arrived on campus. We see our students promoted to principal and district office positions. They often are honored as assistant principals or principals of the year.” It’s clear that Charlotte Principal Fellows are top of the class.