Mission
The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education delivers a coordinated and customized set of leadership and instructional development programs, services and activities organized and managed through the Penn Center for Educational Leadership. In partnership with regional school districts, intermediate units, and other regional and national education service providers the Penn Center for Educational Leadership:

• implements leadership programs that support and enhance the work of leaders and leadership teams in regional school districts and schools;
• provides current central office and school leaders with assistance in leading changes in school and classroom practice that enhance student learning and development;
• increases the pipeline of educators in the region who become and support instructional and organizational leadership at all levels;
• supports classroom teachers emerging leadership in school improvement and offers them unique opportunities to enhance their skills in standards-based classroom instruction.

The Center is viewed as a significant value-added resource to regional and national school districts for:

• assessing and building upon school and district leadership capacities that support student learning,
• enhancing instructional, organizational and public leadership development in the context of standards-based education,
• accessing organizational and curriculum/instruction development products and services, and
• integrating relevant applied research and education policy initiatives with practice in schools.

The Center facilitates collaborative administrator and district team learning experiences at Penn and throughout the region that are grounded in emerging research in effective educational leadership, teaching and student learning, and organizational change. The Penn Center for Educational Leadership’s activities focus in four domains:

• conferences, institutes, academies, study groups, and continuing education courses and workshops that develop and enhance emerging and practicing educational leaders’ knowledge and skills;
• leadership degree and certification programs that draw on university, national and regional expertise in education, business, public policy and communication;
• comprehensive staff development training and technical assistance services to school districts and schools that foster their capacities to facilitate high levels of student success and achievement; and
• case study, policy brief and profes sional development and curriculum material development and dissemination.

The Center’s activities are supported by regional education agencies and Penn GSE partners that include: The Center for School Study Councils, The Penn Literacy Network, The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, The Philadelphia Writing Project, The Penn-Merck Collaborative for Science Education, and Delaware Valley Minortiy Achievement Consortium.