The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) at the University of California, Berkeley, has three areas of work: preparation, induction, and leadership outreach. All programs are designed based on the principles of equity and social justice and focus on improving education for the most vulnerable and historically underserved public school students. In 15 cohorts, PLI has prepared over 500 educational leaders who are 50% students of color, 95% working in public education, and 88% working in the Bay Area.
Leadership Support Program, PLI’s induction program, has inducted over 100 leaders in 11 years. Originally designed as a continuation of the preparation program, Leadership Support Program now inducts PLI alumni who work in the San Francisco Bay Area, selected new leaders who graduate from other preparation programs and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as alumni of our sister program, the Principal Leadership Institute at University of California, Los Angeles. There are currently over 75 participants enrolled in Leadership Support Program.
This white paper was written with the intent of supporting new leaders, districts, program sponsors, and policy makers during a time of signifi- cant policy change in California. Starting in July 2015, all new administrators in California will be required to participate in a two-year induction program as the single pathway to obtain the Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential (ASC). Consistent with major policy shifts, the field is grappling with both conceptualizing leader induction and understanding the appropriate programmatic structures and design. Through this paper, we describe the components of a typical journey through the Leadership Support Program from the candidate’s perspective. It is therefore not a comprehensive accounting of all aspects or candidates in the program. We do, however, make consistent references to the language in the new program standards. We hope this paper helps new leaders better understand what kinds of support they should receive during induction.
We hope that this description helps our colleagues as they embark on the important and critical work of supporting leaders through their early career stages. We hope that this paper helps policy makers by providing an on the ground level voice to illustrate how the new program standards can be implemented in California.