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Educational Leadership Program for Aspiring Principals
The Educational Leadership Program for Aspiring Principals trains high-quality candidates to lead school improvement efforts. Its unique cohort model of leadership development focuses on the competencies and confidence of instructional leaders. The intensive program integrates coursework into an on-site, 180-hour internship and enables program candidates to earn their K-12 Principals Certificate in one year and their master's degree in two years.
The program's integrated design allows students to develop the theoretical knowledge of aspiring leaders and concurrently test their abilities to apply this knowledge in practical school settings. Through an inquiry-based curriculum, program candidates reflect on the dimensions of leadership that are critical to effective K-12 school administrators. The program is framed by three questions that are fundamental to student achievement:
- How do students learn high-level skills across the curriculum?
- How do teachers teach so that students learn high-level skills?
- How do principals provide instructional, organizational, and public leadership so that all students learn at high levels?
The program courses are designed so that candidates make connections between theory and practice. They focus on how to facilitate learning and step up to leadership roles in schools. Program candidates participate in an intensive executive coaching experience with a principal and a University mentor, both of whom serve as role models and learning facilitators.
Using a part-time, executive education model, a cohort of students attend coursework each week in the fall and spring semesters for the first year, coming together monthly for Saturday sessions and attending an additional seminar during the summer semester. In the first year, students complete five courses and the 180-hour mentorship. At the end of the first year, students are eligible for K-12 Principals Certification. During the second year, students study on a part-time basis, taking five additional courses in Educational Leadership to earn a master's degree.
There are several certification and degree tracks for candidates:
- Students who have a master's degree and are seeking certification only complete five courses and, at the end of the first year, are eligible for K-12 Principals Certification.
- Students seeking a master's degree in addition to certification take five additional courses-three core courses and two Penn GSE electives-completing an ELD master's degree at the end of the second year.
- Students currently enrolled in a Penn GSE degree program can enter the first year cohort and earn certification while taking their regular Penn GSE courses.
Degree Requirements
Students complete a total of 10 course units for the two-year program. Five course units are required for eligibility for Principals Certification, and another five course units are required for the M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership. Students in the master's degree program must satisfy a distributional requirement that demonstrates breadth within the field of education and write a master's research paper.
Program of Study
Year 1
Fall 1 (courses must be taken in sequence for the first year)
EDUC 643 Instructional Leadership to Promote Learning
EDUC 651 Field Internship Seminar: Inquiring into Principal Leadership
for School Improvement
Spring 1
EDUC 652 Developing Instructional Leadership in Practice
EDUC 653 Field Internship Seminar: Inquiring into Organizational and
Legal Dimensions to Principal Leadership
Summer 1
EDUC 654 Aligning Fiscal, Human and Community Resources in Support
of the School's Instructional Mission
Year 2
Fall 2
Two of the three Educational Leadership Core Courses:
- EDUC 544 School & Society
- One of the following: EDUC 547 Anthropology in Education, EDUC 616 Teaching & Learning, or EDUC 712 Policy Making in Education
- One research methodology course: EDUC 545 Research Methods in ELD, EDUC 672 Introduction to Ethnographic Methods, or EDUC 677 Introductory Statistics in Educational Research
Spring 2
Third Educational Leadership Core Course
Penn GSE Distributional Course (a course taken within Penn GSE but outside of the Educational Leadership Division)
Summer 2
Penn GSE Elective
Advising
Upon admission, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will aid in the planning of the course of study.
Application Requirements
- Penn GSE Application
- Application fee
- Three letters of recommendation:
- One from a current principal who will serve as your site-based mentor
- One from someone who can attest to your leadership abilities
- One from an individual (a former college professor, if possible) who can attest to the candidate's preparedness for rigorous academic work
- A three-page essay that discusses a current issue related to curriculum, instruction, or assessment, and what you would do to promote a high level of student achievement as a principal. Citations from current research are expected
- Undergraduate/graduate transcript(s) which indicate a cumulative average of a minimum of 3.0
- Personal interview with the Program Director
Applications are accepted on a rolling admissions basis. Admission is for the fall term only - the program begins in August.
Program Faculty, Instructors, and Mentors
Judy Lechner Brody, Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Ann Marie Bucci, M.Ed., Arcadia University
Arlene Holtz, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Richard Ingersoll, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Peter Kuriloff, Ed.D., Harvard University
Warren Mata, Ed.D., Lehigh University
Angelo Milicia, M.Ed., Temple University
Michael Pladus, Ed.D., Columbia Teachers College
Michael Silverman, M.Ed., Temple University
Diana Slaughter-Defoe, Ph.D., University of Chicago
Deitra Spence, Ed.D., Temple University
Jonathan Supovitz, Ed.D., Harvard University
Jeanne Vissa, Ed.D., Columbia Teachers College
Program Contact
Judy Lechner Brody
Program Director, Educational Leadership Program for Aspiring Principals
University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215- 573-0739
Vernell Edwards, Coordinator
Foundations and Practices in Education
University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-746-2566
edwardsv@gse.upenn.edu
For more information please contact us or call 1-877-PENNGSE (736-6473).
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