Changing from Traditional Practice to a New Model for Preparing Future Leaders

Abstract

In dramatic departure from the traditional format of programs preparing building level leaders, in the last sixteen years the Educational Leadership Department in the College of Education at Kansas State University (KSU) has worked with eight different partners in designing and delivering site-based customized 30-hour master’s degree programs in educational leadership to 19 individual cohorts. New programs scheduled to begin within the next two semesters will increase the number of individual cohorts to 21 and the number of different partners to 9.1 Since the first master’s academies in 2000, the academy focus has moved from preparing candidates for principal positions to the broader vision of teacher leadership, recognizing that today’s leadership relies on a team, not an individual.2 Leadership skills are needed by those in both teacher and principal positions. Such a change to developing leadership capacity at the teacher level gave rise to requests for an ongoing series of teacher leadership academies within the same districts. Most often, academies are partnerships between the Educational Leadership Department and a single school district, but four have involved two (and in one case three) districts working together with the university to add synergy across districts to enhance learning about leadership. Along with the shift to teacher leadership, academy participants are given the option of independently adding two traditional department courses to complete credit requirements for a state-issued building-level leaders’ license. Honoring standards for accreditation of its preparation program and responsibility for student access to state licensure for leadership positions, the university grants successful completers a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with the option of completing these two additional courses to meet requirements for a principal’s license. Dr. Mary Devin is a Professor of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University and has been directly involved with master’s partnerships since the program began. She served as a school superintendent partner in the first two years of the model and as the university partner liaison for the last fourteen years.