Three Places to Experience in Dubrovnik

Suzana Ustabecir went on to achieve her master’s of education in administration and supervision at National Louis University. Suzana Ustabecir of Chicago is an experienced traveler

An educator based in Chicago, Illinois, Suzana Ustabecir has over 15 years of experience in the education field. Suzana Ustabecir’s hobbies include traveling, and she recently visited Dubrovnik, Croatia, often called the “Pearl of the Adriatic.” Three things to experience in this ancient city include: 

1. The City Walls. Dubrovnik is surrounded by massive and ancient castle walls, built from the 13th to 15th centuries to protect against Turkish invaders. Today, visitors can take the mile trek and snap some photos of the city below. 

2. Lokrum Island. An uninhabited island just a 10-minute ferry ride from town, Lokrum is a popular place for sunbathing and hiking. It also boasts botanical gardens and an old monastery to explore. 

3. Franciscan Monastery. Having operated for over 700 years, this ornate monastery lets visitors see ancient laboratory equipment in its museum while also enjoying its architecture. The monastery is located in Old Town on Dubrovnik’s main street.

The New Leaders Aspiring Principals Program

An experienced educator and educational administrator, Suzana Ustabecir has served for more than 15 years with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), first as a middle school math and science teacher and then as a principal. For the past year, she has served CPS as an instructional effectiveness specialist. In addition to her work with CPS, Suzana Ustabecir remains actively affiliated with the New Leaders organization.

Formerly known as New Leaders for New Schools, New Leaders is dedicated to training transformational principals and other educational leaders. It launched its flagship program, Aspiring Principals, in 2001. 

Seeing that principal training and preparation was often disconnected from the real world of schools and classrooms, New Leaders designed Aspiring Principals to help school principals lead with an approach that enables teachers to grow and students to learn. The program takes place in three basic stages. The training stage consists of a three-week Summer Foundation, one to two in-person group training sessions per month, various online tutorials, and one to two years of induction support. 

The practice stage consists of a yearlong residency that includes both team participation and leadership. Finally, the feedback stage consists of multiple one-on-one critical sessions with an expert coach.

New Leaders' Principal Institute

Since 2016, Suzana Ustabecir has been serving as instructional effectiveness specialist for Chicago Public Schools. Suzana Ustabecir received her master's degree in educational leadership from National Louis University and underwent the principal residency program under New Leaders for New Schools.

Since launching its Aspiring Principals program in 2001, New Leaders has helped train over 2,000 education leaders, consequently influencing nearly half a million students in over 20 cities across the country. At the core of the organization's programs is the Principal Institute. 

The Principal Institute aims to address the apparent lack of access to high-quality training for principals, providing targeted, job-connected support to those who are currently serving as principals or assistant principals.

What makes training at Principal Institute unique is its research-tested curriculum that offers training, practice, and feedback. As a result, trainees are subjected to real-world practice in order to learn relevant solutions to particular challenges in their own work areas. Moreover, trainees are equipped with useful skills imparted to them by expert coaches – former principals who provide necessary feedback throughout the training.

In order to support New Leaders' programs, or for more information, visit NewLeaders.org.

Key Benefits of Social and Emotional Learning

As an instructional effectiveness specialist for the Chicago Public Schools, Suzana Ustabecir draws on more than 15 years of experience as a school leader within the district. Suzana Ustabecir has implemented the Social and Emotional Learning Standards Curriculum and has introduced several new techniques within that content area.

Social and emotional skills play a key role in a student's ability to succeed, both in school and beyond. Students who engage in social and emotional learning develop the ability to understand their own feelings, values, strengths, and weaknesses, and can connect their thoughts to their behaviors. They learn to manage strong emotions and control their impulses in pursuit of a higher goal, such as school success, while making decisions that benefit themselves and others.

Social and emotional learning also teaches students how to understand others and to build positive relationships. This involves the development of active listening and respectful communication skills, as well as the ability to diffuse conflict.

Data indicates that these learning processes reduce levels of aggression in schools and correlate with higher levels of scholarly achievement. Experts attribute this to the ability of social and emotional education to cultivate a culture of respect and emotional safety, which in turn improves students' ability to focus on their goals. Meanwhile, students develop into confident and emotionally secure individuals who can thrive as productive citizens.

Places to Visit in Dubrovnik

Some of Suzana Ustabecir’s accomplishments include
starting focus teams that permitted students in grades 3-8 to achieve
 a 70 percent attainment on the NWEA test in both math and
 reading. Suzana Ustabecir, avid traveler

A graduate of National Louis University in Chicago with a master of education in educational leadership, Suzana Ustabecir serves as an instructional effectiveness specialist with Chicago Public Schools. In her free time, Suzana Ustabecir enjoys traveling and has visited Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is located on the Dalmatian Coast. Here are a few things to see and do in this coastal city:

- Stradun. This 300-meter pedestrian walkway in the center of the city offers a number of restaurants and cafes. The white limestone pavement was laid in 1468, but many of the buildings along the walkway were constructed in the 17th century after the earthquake of 1667. 

- Fort Lovrijenac. Nicknamed Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar, this fortress dates back to the 11th century and features a gateway and two drawbridges to protect against invaders. 

- The cable car to Mount Srd. Scaling the incline over Old Town, this orange cable car gives riders a great view of the Adriatic Sea. At the top of the mountain, visitors can eat at the Panorama restaurant while they enjoy the view.

Key Skills for Principals and Other School Leaders

As principal of the Harriet E. Sayre Language Academy
in Chicago, Illinois, Suzana Ustabecir achieved
significant student academic, behavioral, and social-emotional
growth while optimizing operational efficiency.Add caption

Suzana Ustabecir has been a part of the education field for nearly two decades, serving Chicago Public Schools in numerous roles. While she currently serves as an instructional effectiveness specialist, Suzana Ustabecir has also been a middle school teacher, resident principal, and principal.

School administrators, especially principals, require a diverse skill set to succeed in the field. Social skills, such as the ability to interact with people effectively and direct them toward a common goal, are essential to working in the school administration field. Principals must be able to remain authoritative without sacrificing approachability. They must also communicate effectively, providing clear direction to school staff and creating a clear sense of expectations.

In addition to these core skills, principals must also be stellar problem solvers. Working in such a position requires a comprehensive understanding of many factors, such as budgetary issues, resource management, and competing needs. Principals must be able to balance these concerns against one another and find a way to improve every element of a school's operations without leaving anything neglected.

New Leaders Transforming Teams Program

Suzana Ustabecir comes to her school
leadership role with a master of education in
 administration and supervision, as well as a
bachelor of arts in elementary education.

Suzana Ustabecir is an experienced schoolteacher and educational administrator who has served multiple principal and assistant/resident principal positions with Chicago Public Schools. Since 2016, she has provided the district with targeted educational services as an instructional effectiveness specialist. To augment and inform her professional activities, Suzana Ustabecir holds active membership in New Leaders.

Originally established as New Leaders for New Schools, the group has helped train and prepare approximately 3,200 educational leaders in 30 cities across the United States. In addition to offering programs for teachers, principals, principal supervisors, and district administrators, the organization helps to build successful instructional teams through its Transforming Teams initiative.

Providing an organized framework for effective collaboration, Transforming Teams balances in-class content, such as research-based online tutorials and case studies, with real-world practice, such as collective instructional planning to meet specific pedagogical priorities. These include helping participants master the best practices of high-functioning teams and use data to support strategic planning with a concentration on standards-aligned instruction..