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Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL)

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The Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) provides current and aspiring education leaders with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills while working to address current problems of practice.

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Modules begin in February, May, and September. 

AASA members are eligible for an exclusive membership discount on this program. Please visit AASA's website for details.

In pre-K-12 education, we need transformational leaders whose passion for education quality and equity is matched by a knowledge of learning and development, the organizational management skills to translate visionary ideas into real-world success, and a firm grasp of the role of context and politics in shaping leadership.

Based on the groundbreaking Doctor of Education Leadership program, the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) provides current and aspiring education leaders with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills while working to address current problems of practice.

Certificate Details

A practice-based learn, apply, reflect model.

CAEL was designed not only to build the foundation knowledge necessary for visionary, system-wide leadership but to give participants the time and opportunity to step back from, assess, and address a pressing problem in their own practice. The first 4-5 weeks of each module center on in-depth learning on the focused topic area. During weeks 6 and 7, participants identify a problem they are working to solve and apply their learning to it. Weeks 8-12 are about pushing deeper on knowledge acquisition while demonstrating mastery in a project. Participants work in small learning groups, supported by an experienced facilitator, to deepen and extend their thinking and leadership skills.

A Rigorous, Flexible Experience

• 60 clock hours per module
• Asynchronous activities: choose when to complete them within a given week
• Direct support from an online learning facilitator and peer learning group
• Option for team-based enrollment and participation
• Certificate of mastery – it is highly facilitated, and you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your mastery through a project.

Led by HGSE faculty members, CAEL offers five distinct 12-week online modules that build competencies in self-, team-, and systemic leadership. Each of the five modules may be taken separately. A certificate of mastery is offered to those completing four of the five modules.

• Leading Learning: A CAEL Module
• Developing Myself: A CAEL Module
• Driving Change: A CAEL Module
• Leading for Excellence & Equity: A CAEL Module
• Managing Evidence: A CAEL Module

Faculty Chair

Elizabeth City

Through work on strategy, instructional improvement, and the future of learning, Liz City develops leaders with the skills, imagination, and collaboration necessary to build and re-build systems that serve each and every child well.

Who Should Attend

CAEL is ideal for current and aspiring preK-12 leaders:

• Superintendents and district-level administrators
• Directors of charter management organizations
• Administrators at state agencies
• Experienced principals and teachers who aspire to system-level roles
• Teams of education leaders seeking to strengthen their skills and collaborative capabilities
• Educators are encouraged to apply as teams to increase their impact

How to Participate

Taking cael modules as a team.

When you take one or more CAEL modules as a school, district, or organization-level team, you create a collective impact on learning in your system. Enrolling in CAEL as a team allows you to identify unified goals and objectives and apply what you learn together. Your team will work on a single, shared problem of practice across the 12 weeks, submitting a single midterm and final project that represents your collective effort. Along the way, you will also have the chance to submit individual assignments focused on personal learning.

Earning the Certificate

A Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership will be awarded to participants who complete four of the five modules, including Leading Learning and a final reflective assignment. All four courses must be taken within two years of starting. Please visit the application pages for each CAEL module below:

Pursuing HGSE Graduate Credit

Participants admitted to complete CAEL modules for graduate credit will complete a specialized version of the final activities during weeks 9-12. Participants should estimate an additional five hours of study during that period.

How to Apply

This program welcomes applications from both individuals and teams. First-time applicants need to create a Professional Education account to apply.

Individuals : Click the "Apply" button at the top of this page to log into your Professional Education account and access the application page. Proceed with the individual form until submission.

Step 1: Designate one participant or an administrative staff member as the Coordinator .

• The Coordinator should click the "Apply" button at the top of this page to log into their Professional Education account and access the application page.
• Proceed with the team form, including providing the name, email address, and job title of each participant in your team. 
• The Coordinator can choose to receive a team invoice.
• Contact us if you need to make any changes to your team after submitting the form.

Step 2: Upon the submission of the team application, all team members will receive an email notification with a link to their personal application form. Team members should complete their forms promptly. Once all team members submit their forms, the application is considered complete and ready for review by the Admissions Committee.

Invoices: Invoices will only be available upon your acceptance.

Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance is available for the programs in this certificate on a need and application basis. Tuition assistance is granted based on participant and institutional needs. Requests for tuition assistance do not affect an applicant's prospects for admission. You may access the tuition assistance application after you have submitted your program application. Tuition assistance applications should be submitted at least one month prior to the final application deadline.

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Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML)

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Leading Change

• Leading School Strategy & Innovation

Leading People

Leading learning.

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Program Overview

The Certificate in School Management and Leadership (CSML), a multi-course certificate program for PreK-12 school leaders, is an innovative collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and Harvard Business School (HBS).

Bridging the fields of business and education, CSML integrates world-class faculty and research in managing teams and organizations with best practices in educational leadership, to provide school leaders with frameworks, skills, and knowledge to effectively lead and drive change improvement in schools. The CSML certificate is comprised of four courses, which can be taken independently or completed together in any order to earn a comprehensive certificate.

Explore the Courses

Gain the skills needed to successfully drive school change and help diverse stakeholders establish priorities and improve practice. Learn more .

Leading School Strategy and Innovation

Develop the skills to take a strategic approach to identifying challenges, analyzing the cause, incorporating innovation, and driving whole school improvement.  Learn more .

Learn how to recruit, develop, retain, and inspire outstanding individuals and teams to deliver on the vision of the school. Learn more.

Learn how to create teaching and learning communities that support standards based excellent teaching in every classroom.  Learn more.

Upcoming Courses

June Term June 19 - July 17, 2024

• Application Deadline : June 7, 2024
• Enrollment Deadline : June 13, 2024

July Term July 17 - August 14, 2024

• Application Deadline : July 5, 2024
• Enrollment Deadline : July 11, 2024

October  Term October 9 - November 6, 2024

• Application Deadline : September 27, 2024
• Enrollment Deadline : October 3, 2024

Leading Change : $499

Leading School Strategy & Innovation : $499

Leading People : $499

Leading Learning  : $499

The program is subject to applicable international taxes.  

Certificate at a Glance

“One of my biggest takeaways in that the way I approach my team is very different. I had always looked at leadership as a characteristic of who you are and never looked at it as an activity. It is not so much about who I am, but it’s about how I build that capacity in other people, so they can take the risk to take action.”

Thea Stovell, Superintendent, Randolph Public Schools

“The Certificate in School Management and Leadership is a must for all leaders. The course uses short video clips and actionable research that is easy to relate to your own school and work. The course helps you to reflect on the changes needed at your school and how to proceed with the changes to ensure an equitable education for all students.”

Erika Tonello, Assistant Principal, District School Board of Pasco County

“The cohort based learning of CSML has been instrumental to my growth and development. I have cherished learning from peers whose settings and philosophies of education are so different from my own, as well as those in schools and communities with similarities to mine. The combination pushed me to rethink approaches we currently use in our school, while simultaneously opening my eyes to radically new ways of addressing our challenges.”

Rabbi Moshe Schwartz, Head of School, Krieger Schechter Day School

“The most significant improvement that has resulted from my work in the CSML is the total comprehension of what it takes to be a true leader; the running of a business has many parts, its ripeness, its adaptive challenges, but more importantly, that leadership is a practice, and authority does not always have to lead.”

Kristine Douglas, Head of School, Ellington Preparatory Academy of Arts and Sciences Charter School

“Harvard's "Leading Change: A CSML Course," served as a wonderful form of professional development. While enrolled, I eagerly anticipated each module as the readings, videos and peer-interaction served as an excellent springboard for critical thought, reflection and growth.”

Mike Hayes, Principal, Indian Hill Exempted Village School District

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Devika Agrawal

CONCENTRATION: Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS)

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On Health Care Economics

“This is an amazing course. The professor did a fantastic job dissecting the complexities of healthcare into chewable chunks." 

Howard H. Dinh, MD, FACC Medical Director, Cardiac Services, Greater Sacramento The Permanente Medical Group and Chief, Cardiology Kaiser Permanente, South Sacramento

"I love the way the course is structured with real-world examples and the critical thinking sessions. It forces us to reflect upon what is happening around us. People who have an interest in cybersecurity, as well as those that would like to gain more general knowledge, would greatly benefit from this course."

Anand Narayan Account Executive, Lenovo Canada

On Data Science Principles

"This is a topic that people in any industry should have at least basic knowledge of in order to create more efficient and competitive businesses, tools, and resources."

Carlos E. Sapene Chief Executive Officer

On Data Science For Business

"This course had an amazing instructor, amazing examples, and an amazing user interface that made it easy for me to grasp the material and learn simultaneously with others around the world."

Shawn Carrington, Jr. Senior Executive Officer Perspecta, Inc.

Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians

Gain a deeper understanding of the leadership skills and strategies needed to lead and manage the contemporary academic library through challenging contexts.

Associated Schools

Harvard Graduate School of Education

HGSE Professional Education

What you'll learn.

Learn more about the factors that improve and inhibit your leadership effectiveness

Increase your leadership effectiveness in ways that drive innovation and generate lasting impact

Develop strategies to address short- and long-term challenges within your library

Participate in meaningful personal reflection and professional renewal among a supportive community of colleagues

Course description

The Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians  applies important leadership concepts to the practical, day-to-day challenges of managing today’s academic library. Through this interactive program, you will gain knowledge, insights, and strategies that will improve your leadership capabilities and help your library succeed and thrive. 

Designed to increase your leadership effectiveness and management capacity,  the Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians  is a five-day on-campus program that addresses the following topics: Contemporary Leadership Challenges (including anti-racism, social justice, and higher-ed changes),  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Leading Transformational Change in the Library, A New Culture of High Performance and High Engagement, and Transformational Learning/Immunity to Change.

Instructors

Maureen Sullivan

Alex hodges, you may also like.

Harvard Seminar for New Presidents

Gain the support of expert faculty and a community of extraordinary peers throughout your first year in your new role as a college/university president.

Leaders of Learning

Explore and understand your own theories of learning and leadership. Gain the tools to imagine and build the future of learning.

Bravely Confronting Racism in Higher Education

Build a more equitable environment for the community of  students, faculty, and staff within your higher education institution by developing a sustainable practice to confront racism

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When the PhD path leads to career struggles

A doctoral degree is a major commitment. Think carefully.

I appreciated reading Kara Miller’s The Big Idea column “PhD: Pretty heavily disappointed” (Business, May 22), about people with doctoral degrees struggling to build careers in academia. It made me think back to a conversation I had when I was about to graduate from high school.

I happened to run into a former track coach of mine, and as we were reminiscing he asked me what I planned as a major in college. “History,” I responded. He said, “Why don’t you take some computer classes also? It never hurts to be able to do something useful.”

I did not reflect on his motivation at the time, but my track coach was a young guy, and he was probably giving me advice straight from his own life, as a parent trying to raise his own young children. I did take computer classes in college and ultimately received a PhD in chemical engineering. I always remember that conversation as being a kind of turning point.

Earning a doctoral degree is a life commitment of great proportion. It can take, as Miller notes, between four and seven years. If we think of working life as roughly between the ages of 22 and 65, then a PhD requires more than 10 percent of a person’s working life. People need to think carefully about that investment.

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Two powerful arguments in favor of the path of science, technology, engineering, and math are that there tend to be more STEM jobs for PhDs, and many universities’ STEM departments are generous in covering their PhD students’ tuition and cost of studies, including a stipend toward food, rent, and other expenses.

Stuart Gallant

Not much has changed in 30 years

As I prepared to graduate in 1995 with a doctor of education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, my mother memorably said to me, “Of my four children, you are the one with the most education and the smallest salary.” Apparently not much has changed in 30 years.

I must congratulate these students, however, on following their passion rather than following the money. I can’t help but think that their lives, though stressful, may contain greater happiness.

Peggy Clark

Lawyers & electricians & philosophers, oh my!

Kara Miller’s column on the career challenges for people with doctoral degrees generated more than 260 comments on Boston.Globe.com. The following is an edited sample of readers’ reactions:

Lots of law school grads are underemployed as well. (PL)

So true, PL. The market in Massachusetts is flooded with talented lawyers seeking work. (Roforma)

Supply and demand, the market at work. (guk)

Investing in education and research in all fields is the hallmark of a society with staying power. Disinvesting from these endeavors signals decline and decay. (Massachusetts citizen)

Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and other skilled technical professions have no problems getting $100k jobs with great benefits. (ramsen)

Not enough turnover from tenured professors, leaving little space for new faculty. Although the tenured, well-established professors are needed, it’s the junior faculty who are hungry and with new ideas that help build new programs. The whole graduate program model is a bad model. I worked two jobs, had my tuition and some type of minimal student health insurance and could barely cover the rent with my stipend, and the second job paid for everything else. Though I was working on many faculty projects, it was the faculty who said this would be good for me. Never did they say it was also good for them. (TravelerofNJ2)

I just retired from a tenured faculty position in science. I’m in my early 70s. I have colleagues who are still doing what they do well into their 70s, a couple approaching 80. There is no active incentive from the university to move the older faculty on, to make way for a new generation. (Lola-lola)

The next step is for adjuncts to go on strike across the nation and hold colleges and universities accountable. The current system is completely absurd. (Wordsmith2358)

Universities should be required to release disclosure data about the fate of their PhD graduates. (davidman820)

I knew an attorney who managed a Cheesecake Factory. She had worked in food services through school. As an attorney, she really did not make that much money and was not doing the field of law of her choice. How many real estate closings can you do without dying of boredom? She went into management in the food industry and makes the same salary. (Antietem)

It was always a question and puzzling to me why people study philosophy. (Blazer27)

Globe Opinion