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The Principals' Center

Who We Are

Founded in 1981, The Principals’ Center (TPC) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is committed to the support and development of school leaders around the world. Through professional development programs and an extensive learning community, TPC assists principals in leading change to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.  

Search by Type:  Residential Programs | Online ProgramsAdditional Resources

 

Residential Professional Development Programs

For 40 years, The Principals’ Center has convened school leaders from around the world in its transformative residential programs. 

Programs Description
Achieving Excellence: Leadership Development for Principals
  • For both new and experienced K-12 principals interested in thinking more strategically about their schools and districts.
  • Ground your leadership in best practices and frameworks that empower you to lead schools that support excellence for all learners.
School Turnaround Leaders
  • For K-12 educators and change agents directly responsible for leading or overseeing school turnaround efforts.
  • Develop a theory of action for turning around underperforming schools, and learn strategies for successful implementation.
National Institute for Urban School Leaders
  • For school leaders and teams working in urban settings.
  • Explore in-depth the leadership skills needed to set high expectations for all and to accelerate learning across classrooms.
The Principals’ Centre in Australia
  • For principals and school leaders from schools across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
  • Hosted in Sydney, Australia.
  • A leadership program designed to cultivate and strengthen the management and leadership skills of help school principals become effective leaders of instructional change.
Race, Equity, and Leadership in Schools
  • For K-12 educators interested in deepening their understanding of the intersections of race, identity, power, and privilege in our society and schools.
  • Identify concrete strategies for building inclusive institutions and build your toolkit to teach it, model it, and practice it.

 

Online Professional Development Programs

Program Description
Building Your Entry Plan to Lead for Equity in Education
  • Plan your entry into a new education leadership position through this new online professional development program. Learn to devise a series of steps that will involve communities of stakeholders in creating opportunities for all children to succeed.
  • For superintendents, principals, school leaders, state education administrators, and nonprofit leaders.
  • Approximately 5 hours per week over 4 weeks.

Navigating Complexity: A Leadership Program for Principals

  • Hone and develop the leadership skills necessary to successfully lead schools through uncertainty and change. 
  • Asynchronous and synchronous course design with heavy facilitation and peer learning support.
  • Approximately 15 hours over 6 weeks.
School Leaders of Color Organizational Development Collaborative
  • Join a collaborative community of school leaders of color to explore ways to make school leadership even more effective by applying organizational development principles to real-time, shared practice problems facing today’s schools.
  • Asynchronous and synchronous course design with heavy facilitation and peer learning support.
  • 10-week live online series will be comprised of bi-weekly 90-minute webinars.
Leading Change: A CSML Course
  • Learn to drive school change and help diverse stakeholders establish priorities and improve practice. 
  • Part of the Certificate in School Management and Leadership.
  • Asynchronous, case-based course design.
  • Approximately 16 hours over 4 weeks.
Leading School Strategy & Innovation: A CSML Course
  • Learn to identify existing challenges, incorporate and support innovation, and take a strategic problem-solving approach to planning and driving school improvement.
  • Part of the Certificate in School Management and Leadership.
  • Asynchronous, case-based course design.
  • Approximately 16 hours over 4 weeks.
Leading People: A CSML Course
  • Identify ways to manage and motivate staff, foster continuous improvement, and build leadership capabilities among individuals, groups, and teams throughout the school.
  • Part of the Certificate in School Management and Leadership.
  • Asynchronous, case-based course design.
  • Approximately 16 hours over 4 weeks.
Leading Learning: A CSML Course
  • Develop the school structures, systems, supports, and culture that lead to excellent teaching and learning in every classroom, for every student.
  • Part of the Certificate in School Management and Leadership.
  • Asynchronous, case-based course design.
  • Approximately 16 hours over 4 weeks.

 

Additional Resources for School Leaders

The Principals’ Network

The Principals’ Network provides school leaders with a robust, online professional learning network through which they can share and access resources, offer and receive feedback, and maintain an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with HGSE. This network is thoughtfully designed to support principals as they lead their schools all over the world.