The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) at the University of California has focused on preparing and supporting a diverse group of equity focused educational leaders in the Bay Area since 1999. In 2004, PLI took on the work of leader induction and launched the Leadership Support Program (LSP), a voluntary three year program that was geared toward supporting early career leaders through an innovative model of professional learning activities, guided mastery and coaching. In 2015, LSP was expanded into Southern California through a partnership between UC Berkeley and UCLA. This move coincided with a shift in California State policy to mandate induction for educational leaders to obtain licensure. Now a state mandated two year program, this next iteration of LSP as a dual pathway program has continued to be on the forefront of leader induction practice, both in terms of results and innovations in the field.
The impacts of the Leadership Support Program are illustrated by the hundreds of LSP graduates who continue to work in education at a rate which far surpasses the national average of educational leadership turnover. Analysis of LSP’s graduation and placement data as well as a close reading of student journals, assignments and testimonials reveals the program’s beneficial impact on leader retention and efficacy.
This impact report is adapted from a longer and more thorough overview of LSPand highlights the background of the program, general operating principles and mechanics as well as an abbreviated summary of its impacts.