School Leadership

Curriculum

All students in the School Leadership program must take a total of eight courses (32 credits).
All Students must enroll in one core course, A-328: Seminar: School Leadership.
Please view the Program Description page for an in depth description of each strand.

Principal Licensure Strand

Students who choose the principal licensure strand must meet requirements for Massachusetts principal licensure. In addition to the core course (A-328), students in the Principal Licensure strand must enroll in:

• T-330: Practicum in School Principalship (year-long)
• A-027A: Managing Financial Resources in Non-Profit Organizations (fall 
• A-252: Legal Issues Affecting Urban Schools in the Post-Brown Era (summer)
  or
  A-213: Schools and the Law (fall)
• 2 days of the required practicum are Tuesdays and Thursdays

Other strongly recommended courses:

• A-306: Using Student Assessment Data to Improve Instruction (year-long)
  or
   S-011: Understanding Today's Educational Testing (fall)
• A-326: School Reform: Curricular and Instructional Leadership (fall)
• A-112: Students with Disabilities in School  (fall)
  or
  A117: Implementing Inclusive Education (spring)
• A-341: Supporting Teachers for Instructional Improvement  (spring)

For more information on requirements for Principal Licensure, please visit our Licensure website.

Teacher Leadership Strand

In addition to the core course (A-328), students in the Teacher Leadership must enroll in:

• T-131: Teachers, Leadership, and Power: School Reform from the Classroom (fall)
• S-600: Action Research and Leadership in Urban Schools: Cross Role Cohort Internship (year-long)
• S-999: Independent Study with Professor Boles

1 of the following 3 courses:

• T-440: Teaching and Learning: Critical Exploration in the Classroom (fall)
• A-341: Supporting Teachers for Instructional Improvement  (spring)
• A-117:  Implementing Inclusive Education  (spring)

Teacher Leadership students select three additional courses (or equivalent modules) focusing on cognition and learning, teaching, curriculum, and child and adult development, as well as courses in specific subject areas (e.g., reading).
Other Strongly recommended courses:

• A-121: Teaching and Learning: Links between Research and Practice (summer)
• A-306: DataWise: Using Assessment Data to Improve Instruction
• AT-105: New Professional Roles for Teachers (spring)
• T-540: Cognition and the Art of Instruction (spring)

School Development Strand

In addition to the core course (A-328), students in the School Developer strand must enroll in:

• A-307:  Practicum on Leadership in Nontraditional Settings (year-long).  Alternatively, if A-307 does not meet a student's educational or professional needs, the student may petition the SLP Director for a waiver of this requirement and substitute a Field Experience (one semester) coupled with a relevant course in place of the practicum or take S-600 (year-long).

1 of the following 5 courses (category A):

• A-312:  Systematic Reform in Urban School Districts and Schoolas (spring)
• A-326:  School Reform: Curriculum and Instructional Leadership (fall)
• A-350: Standards-Based Reform: The Challenge of Implementation (spring) 
• S-011: Principles of Educational Assessment (fall)
• A-112: Students with Disabilities in Schools (fall)

1 of the following 6 courses (category B):

• A027a: Managing Financial Resources in Non-Profit Organizations (fall)
• A-608: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning (fall)
• A-205: Microeconomics: A Tool for Educators (fall or spring)
• HBS 1520: Effective Leadership of Social Enterprise (taught at the Harvard Business School (winter/spring) 
• HBS 1602: Entrepreneurship in Education Reform (taught at the Harvard Business School (winter/spring) )
• KSG STM-400: Financial Control in Nonprofit and Public Organizations (spring)

School Development students select four additional courses or equivalent modules focusing on nonprofit management, charter schools, teaching, curriculum, and assessment.
Other Strongly recommended courses:

• A-605: Leading and Managing Organizations: Part I (fall)
• A-606: Leading and Managing Organizations: Part II (spring)
• A-010R: Independent Secondary Schools (spring)

Summer Courses

There are two summer courses offered to the School Leadership students, although each student can only register for one course. (The two summer courses below are primarily designed for students in the Urban Superintendents Program, however, we were given permission by the instructors to open the classes to SLP students.)

While we realize that while not everyone may be able to take advantage of this opportunity, we want to make it available for those who can. Taking either of these classes will allow you more flexibility throughout the year. In the past, we have found that students have always wished they could have taken these classes in addition to many others. In fact, we recently had a conversation with current students, all of whom said that coming here in the summer made a significant impact on their time here, both academically and socially. Hopefully, this opportunity will help you to satisfy all of your goals.

The two courses are listed below, along with links to their websites. Preference for admittance into the law class is given to Principal Licensure strand students, as a law class is one of their requirements. However, other students may apply to be in this course. Admitted SLP students may enroll in one of the courses with permission of the instructor. Please contact Brian Garrett for further information.

A-252: Legal Issues Affecting Urban Schools in the Post-Brown Era
*This course is highly recommended for the principal certification students.
A-121: Teaching and Learning: Links between Research and Practice
*This course is designed for students in all three strands.

Cross-Registration

Many HGSE students choose to take courses at other Harvard graduate schools (aka, cross-registering), including the Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Kennedy School of Government (KSG). Harvard's schools operate on different schedules. Therefore, remain mindful of school's individual calendars and deadlines: start of classes, vacations, and exams.
For more information about cross-registering at other Harvard schools, please visit: https://crossreg.harvard.edu/

HGSE Course Catalog

For more information about HGSE course offerings, view the entire HGSE course catalogue