Program Objectives

The major educational objectives of the program are to develop educational leaders who have advanced knowledge and skills by:

1. Encouraging participants in the program to self-direct their personal and professional growth as educators by:

  • Taking responsibility for their own learning;
  • Initiating professional inquiry through conversations with colleagues;
  • Critically reading professional literature;
  • Participating in personal and professional development opportunities; and
  • Setting high expectations for their professional performance.

2. Guiding participants to promote in P-20 students and education professionals the skills to respond effectively to student differences by:

  • Developing an advanced understanding of human development;
  • Expecting and respecting diversity among individuals in educational settings;
  • Promoting understanding and respect for all members of the educational community;
  • Helping students, stakeholders, and colleagues develop a global perspective; and
  • Applying their knowledge at all levels of interaction with students by creating educational environments where all individuals feel welcome as leaders and successful learners.

3. Improving educational practice through self-refection, self-evaluation, and applied research by:

  • Engaging in study that leads to continuous improvement of educational leadership;
  • Actively investigating and solving educational problems through data gathering and assessment;
  • Continuously monitoring the learning problems and successes of each learner; and
  • Making appropriate adjustments in practice based on analysis of data.

4. Serving as educational leaders by:

  • Actively participating as leaders in areas in which they can contribute to solving educational problems: schools, school districts, community colleges, universities, and affiliated organizations;
  • Taking responsibility for sharing in decision-making relative to institutional issues;
  • Readily asking for and sharing successful instructional approaches and solutions with colleagues, supervisors, and educational leaders; and
  • Providing mentoring for students and colleagues.