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 (year-long).

Please view the Program Description page for an in depth description of each strand.

Principal Licensure Strand

• A-328: Seminar: Becoming a School Leader (year-long)


• T-330: Practicum in School Principalship (year-long)


• A-027: Managing Financial Resources in Nonprofit Organizations (fall)

Law Class:

• A-252: Legal Issues Affecting Urban Schools in the Post-Brown Era (summer 2009)
  or
• A-213: Schools and the Law (fall)

Strongly recommend:

A-112 (fall) or A-117 (spring), A-326 (fall), and A-341 (spring), S-011 (fall)

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

School Development Strand

• A-328: Seminar: Becoming a School Leader (year-long)
• A-307:  Practicum on Leadership in Nontraditional Settings (year-long). 
  Category A (1 of the following 4):
• A-112: Students with Disabilities in Schools (fall)
• A-312: Systematic Reform in Urban School Districts and Schools (spring)
• A-326: School Reform: Curricular and Instructional Leadership (fall) (A or B) 
• S-011: Principles of Educational Assessment (fall)
  
  Category B (1 of the following 5):
• A-027: Managing Financial Resources in Nonprofit Organizations (fall)
• A-608: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning (fall)
• A-205: Microeconomics: A Tool for Educators (fall)
• HBS 1602: Entrepreneurship in Education Reform (taught at the Harvard Business School (winter/spring) 
• KSG MLD-401b: Financial Management in Nonprofit and Public Organizations (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 Caron Yee 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 both 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 (HKS). 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