Sixty-six new South Carolina principals attended the 22nd annual School Leadership Summer Institute for Principals July 23 to 25 at Coastal Carolina University.

The program gives first-year principals an opportunity to enhance their leadership and managerial skills. The state of South Carolina requires newly-appointed principals to attend the summer institute to prepare for their new jobs.

Each new principal is given the opportunity to bond with and learn from experienced principals and experts in the administration field who serve as mentors during the program. Follow-up sessions throughout the year supplement lessons from the summer program and also help first-year principals adjust to their new positions and share their experiences.

At the three-day academy hosted by Coastal's Biddle Center for Teaching and Learning, state and local experts conduct seminars on topics such as instructional leadership, school governance, accountability, finance, professional development and ethical leadership.

Thirty-one school districts across South Carolina are represented, including Aiken, Abbeville, Barnwell 19, Calhoun, Chester, Clarendon 1, Dorchester 2, Edgefield, Florence 3, Greenwood 50, Horry, Marion 1, McCormick, Richland 2, Spartanburg 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 districts, York 3 and 4 disttricts, Orangeburg 5, Sumter 2, Georgetown, Lancaster and Berkeley.

The Principal Induction Program is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Education's Office of School Leadership.