The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) was established at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education in 2000 to prepare leaders for San Francisco Bay Area schools with students who are historically vulnerable and underserved. Students completing the program receive an M.A. in Education and a recommendation toward an Administrative Services Credential— Preliminary (Tier I) from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).
PLI’s fourteen-month preparation program is grounded in principles of equity and social justice at the intersection of research and practice. The Principal Leadership Institute graduates educational leaders who are well prepared for leadership positions in high-needs schools and districts in the Bay Area, and for these graduates to be efficacious so that they remain in these roles.
By 2015, the PLI successfully graduated 515 diverse and highly-skilled school leaders—98% of whom currently work in education, 90% of whom work in California, and 88% of whom work in the greater Bay Area. PLI graduates are consistently recognized by regional and state organizations for their outstanding achievements as school leaders and teachers. These awards include California Distinguished School Awards, California Department of Education Academic Achievement Awards, and Blue Ribbon School Awards.