Enrich your leadership at the nation's first center dedicated to the support and development of principals and other school leaders. The Principals’ Center has attracted thousands of educators from across the globe to its professional education programs, inspiring today’s school leaders to be outstanding in their roles. The Principals’ Center programs are designed to support school leaders throughout their career development, as well as in particular school contexts.
The Principals' Center Programs
Certificate in School Management and Leadership
» Aspiring, early career, and experienced school leaders.
Designed to provide the frameworks, skills, and knowledge to drive change and to lead high-performing schools, this program is an innovative collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and Harvard Business School (HBS) and integrates distinctive capabilities from both schools, combining expertise in managing teams and organizations with a commitment to school and instructional leadership.
Race, Equity, and Leadership in Schools
» 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.
"The Principals' Center programs pay great dividends in the professional growth and development of school leaders. That's why so many keep coming back — to be challenged, and professionally renewed for the critical roles they play each day in the transformation of the education sector."
Deborah Jewell-Sherman
Professor of Practice, HGSE
School Turnaround Leaders
» K-12 educators and change agents directly responsible for leading or overseeing school turnaround efforts.
Develop a theory of action for turning around under performing schools, and learn strategies for successful implementation.
National Institute for Urban School Leaders
» 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.
Leading Culture Change: Strategies for School Improvement
» School- and district-based teams who want to improve culture.
Gain a deeper understanding of how strong cultures develop and design a concrete action plan to drive culture change in your school or district.
"The program will challenge you, stretch your understanding, and leave you equipped to lead when you leave."
Mark McCord (Leadership: An Evolving Vision '16)
Principal, Stockdick Jr. High
Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership
» School leaders in their early careers with 1-5 years of leadership experience.
Explore successful school improvement models and practice research based techniques that will make you a more effective manager of innovation and change.
Leadership: An Evolving Vision
» Experienced school leaders with 5+ years of leadership experience.
Reflect, stretch, and strengthen your leadership skills, examine challenges to raising student achievement, and work with experts in school leadership to master effective strategies for building successful schools.
New and Aspiring School Leaders
» New or aspiring school leaders with 0-2 years of leadership experience.
Join a cohort of emerging school leaders to unpack common leadership challenges, clarify your vision of an effective school, establish your core values, and develop the foundational skills of an effective school leader.
Leadership for School Excellence (hosted in Sydney, Australia)
» Principals and school leaders from government, independent, and catholic schools across Australasia
Join us for a leadership program designed to cultivate and strengthen the management and leadership skills of school principals in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
Find the right program for you! Click here for an overview and comparison of The Principals' Center programs.