More than 200 principals from Texas applied for a special workshop that will take place this summer at Harvard University. Mary Ann Nichols, principal of Quitman Elementary School, beat out hundreds of other applicants for a spot in the Raise Your Hand Texas Harvard Leadership program.

According to its official website, the mission of Raise Your Hand Texas is to "advocate for students and strive to improve Texas public schools by investing in educational leaders and engaging the public to influence policy that strengthens our schools and the economy of our state." To meet these goals, RYHT selects educators in leadership positions from around Texas to participate in week-long summer programs at Harvard.

The process for applying to the program, entitled "Leadership: An Evolving Vision", is similar to college admissions, Nichols said. One must send in essays and letters of recommendation, as well as a basic application.

At first, Nichols said she thought she wouldn't be considered - she sent her application by email, which was accidentally transferred into a spam folder. After emailing back and forth with the program administrators, her application was finally received. Nichols was at home, recovering from a bought of pneumonia, when she got the call for an interview.

"I was on the couch, asleep," Nichols said. "And then I got a call. She told me who she was, and asked if it would it be possible to interview me. And I said, of course it's possible to interview me!"

A few weeks later, Nichols found out she'd been selected. The letter arrived a few weeks after the date Harvard said the official announcement would be made. Nichols again worried she hadn't made the cut. It turned out Harvard experienced some delays, but they had chosen Nichols over 199 other applicants.

Members of the free, all-expenses-paid program will receive homework before the summer session begins, Nichols said. The homework will mostly involve reading selected texts, writing essays and completing other assignments online. The classes Nichols will participate in begin July 6 and end on July 13. The sessions will begin at 8:00 a.m., and end at 6:00 p.m.

"It's going to be very tiring, very rigorous," Nichols said.

Despite the grueling schedule, Nichols said she looked forward to the experience, one she described as the most exciting of her educational career. She's eager to bring the information she'll learn in Cambridge back to Quitman.

Although she isn't certain of what specific work the classes will involve, Nichols said she will learn new and more effective ways to work with her faculty, staff, students and the community at large.

"It's so important that you have good communication with your community," Nichols said. "And I want our students and staff to learn the importance of being brave and bold and stepping out in your research and discovery. I don't want teachers or kids to be afraid to try new things in class."

To that end, the courses will focus on "21st century learning". Nichols said the term refers to the future of education, and how classes will be taught 10 or 15 years from now.

"It's more of a cooperative learning experience, where the teacher guides the students through the process," she said. "Obviously, you can't have the kind of teaching you had in the past when you have Google Glasses, or Wolfram Alpha, where students can find all the answers to their homework on the computer."

As time goes on, education will be based on problem-solving methods as opposed to more traditional methods, such as memorizing information from lectures and textbooks. Nichols said technology will also play a large part in shaping the way classes are taught, and can help students develop skills that will be useful and relevant in a rapidly-changing job market.

"You're probably gonna change your career four or five times in your life," she said. "That's not how it used to be in the past. There are jobs that haven't even been created yet that our kids will have, and they have to be able to teach themselves and access information."

Technology has already made an impact on the way classes are structured. Just this year, Quitman Elementary School was able to purchase 60 iPads for their students, thanks to a school fundraiser and a generous grant from Brookshire's grocery store. In the future, Nichols said she envisions students bringing their own iPads, laptops and other devices to school to use in class.

"They're the first generation that's absolutely techsavvy," she said. "There's not a fear factor for them."

And those tech-savvy students are enthusiastic about Nichols' upcoming trip: They recently threw her a surprise party to celebrate the news. Nichols said she's glad the students are taking notice, and hopes her actions will inspire them to develop a thirst for learning.

"I want them to understand how important education is," she said."I want them to see that I'm never going to stop learning, and that it's their job, too - to never quit learning."