Much time and planning went into the new Ed.L.D. Program. Here’s a brief look at how it all progressed.

Fall 2005

The seed is planted. Acting dean Kathleen McCartney and her senior team begin conversations about leadership in education and the possibility of starting a new degree.

McCartney submits academic plan to Harvard President Larry Summers. Plan includes proposal for a new degree and argues that top education leaders need a unique interdisciplinary skill set that integrates instructional leadership, management, and policy.

May 2006

McCartney is named dean.

Spring 2006

Academic plan is approved. Wheels are in motion for Ed.L.D.

An anonymous donor endows the Herbert A. Simon Professorship in Education, Management, and Organizational Behavior at HGSE, which is later given to Professor Mark Moore in 2009.

McCartney recruits Professor Robert Schwartz to be her academic dean. Schwartz is charged with spearheading the planning for the new degree program.

Fall 2006

Three schools meet. Faculty from the Ed School, to include Kennedy School, and Business School explore potential degree program elements.

Leadership Degree Work Group begins to plan degree. Chaired by Schwartz; other faculty members include Robert Kegan, Richard Elmore, Jerry Murphy, Richard Chait, Monica Higgins, Robert Peterkin, and Janice Jackson.

Spring 2007

Market research begins with Boston-based Parthenon Group.

An anonymous donor endows the Henry Wyman Holmes Professorship of Education Leadership at HGSE.

Fall 2007

Administrative groups at the school begin logistical planning. Teams from the offices of admissions, the registrar, finance, student affairs, and development begin planning for the launch of the new program.

Leadership Degree Work Group expanded to include HBS, HKS. Renamed Exploratory
Committee. Kegan becomes the chair. New faculty members include Stacey Childress (HBS), Mark Moore (HKS), and the Ed School’s Nonie Lesaux, Thomas Payzant,
Harry Spence, and Lee Teitel.

January 2008

Parthenon submits final report. They find that the field is ripe for a new leadership degree program that combines selective recruitment; education, management, and policy content; robust internships; and in-field support.

Spring 2008

Senior faculty approve full proposal.

HBS and HKS leadership agree to faculty collaboration.

September 2008

Leadership Program Design Committee begins. Chaired by Spence. New faculty involved include Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Karen Mapp, and David Perkins.

May 2009

Harvard Corporation votes to approve the Ed.L.D., a new credential within higher education. A month later, Harvard Board of Overseers also approves the degree.

June 2009

Wallace Foundation pledges $10 million dollars for Ed.L.D. fellowships.

September 2009

Ed.L.D. Program is officially announced. The announcement is covered by the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the CBS Evening News, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. The AP story is picked up by more than 220 news organizations.

New Ed.L.D. Work Group, chaired by Elmore and Spence, begins.

Student recruitment begins. More than 1,000 applications pour in for 25 slots.

December 2009

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert writes about the degree. Two weeks later, the Times writes a second story about the program.

February 2010

CBS News coverage. CBS story says that if the new program is successful, “school systems will end up with better leaders who hire better teachers, and American students may finally make the grade.”

August 2010

First cohort arrives in Cambridge for orientation. 35% male, 65% female, average age 33, average work experience 10 years.

September 2010

Harvard President Drew Faust praises the new students and the degree. “I love the Ed.L.D. … because it’s about building human capital to build human capital. It’s about that line of inheritance where we bring together … extraordinary individuals. … And we say we’re going to invest in them because they are going to invest in others.”

October 2010

Students visit three schools in Brockton, Mass. Students also visit the Met School i Providence, R.I., and Philips Exeter Academy to learn how high-performing schools operate.

November 2010

Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of D.C. schools, meets with Ed.L.D. students. Other visitors include Joel Klein, former chancellor of New York City schools, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

January 2011

Foregoing long breaks, students spend their J-term touring effective schools systems around the world.

February 2011

As part of data curriculum, students consult with real-world education organizations to help them make strategic decisions with data. Organizations include district teams from San Antonio, Texas, and Evansville, Ind., as well as teams from SchoolNet and the Massachusetts Department of Education.

March 2011

Cohort 2 is selected.

April 2011

Harvard Graduate School of Design collaboration. Students from cohort 1 collaborate with GSD students to create proposals for ideal school buildings and learning environments for the 21st century.

Summer 2011

Cohort 1 students work at high-level education summer jobs. Range of job sites include state and federal departments of education, school systems, and nonprofits. They open new schools, craft policy and curriculum, and shadow superintendents.

August 2011

Cohort 2 arrives on campus. 32% men, 68% women, average age 32, average work experience 10 years.

December 2011

Cohort 2 students create reform plans for New Orleans. Proposals address school effectiveness, teacher quality, fiscal accountability, and community involvement.

January 2012

Students from cohort 2 do field work in Detroit. As part of their Workplace Lab core course, students collaborate with Detroit’s Education Achievement Authority to help underperforming schools.

March 2012

Placements for cohort 1’s third-year residencies, which begin in July, are announced. During their third and final year, students will return to Harvard periodically for intensive workshops.

Cohort 3 is selected.

April 2012

Prizes and awards start coming in. Students from cohort 1 and 2 are starting to be recognized for their Ed.L.D.-connected work, including a first-place award from the Yale Business Plan Competition and a $50,000 grant from the Harvard Initiative on Learning and Teaching.