Graduate Program Redesign to Prepare 21st Century Educational Leaders

Abstract

The content of this article is focused on the theme of curriculum renewal and redesign in three university-based principal preparation programs from diverse sections of the country: Campbell University in North Carolina, the University of Northern Iowa, and the University of Texas at Brownsville.Questions originally posed to representatives of the three principal preparation programs were as follows: • To what state or national standards are the programs aligned?• How did program faculty engage in curriculum redesign and ongoing renewal?• What delivery systems are offered: cohort, online, hybrid, etc.?• How are field experiences and internships conducted?• How do faculty members assess candidates’ mastery of standards-aligned competencies? The redesign processes undertaken by faculty members from the three leadership preparation programs were explored by addressing common components culled from the questions: standards, curriculum renewal and redesign, field experiences and internships, assessment, and lessons learned. Conclusions summarize the common points that have made the processes successful. It is the authors’ hope that the lessons learned from our combined experiences with principal preparation program redesign will be helpful to educational leadership faculty members engaged in similar processes at other colleges or universities