Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership

Next Modules:
Leading for Excellence and Equity | September 11 - December 2, 2017
Leading Learning | September 11 - December 2, 2017

Upcoming Modules:
Driving Change | February 5 - April 28, 2018
Managing Evidence | February 5 - April 28, 2018
Developing Myself  | May 7 - July 28, 2018

Additional dates will be announced soon. 

All participants must complete the Leading Learning module, and can select three of the remaining four offerings. Following successful completion of four modules within 24 months of beginning the certificate program, a final assignment will be required to receive the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership. This final assignment provides an opportunity to reflect on the CAEL journey and to look forward, considering opportunities for further application.

Purpose:

• Make visible to yourself key learnings from CAEL
• Show evidence of your learning
• Identify questions and next steps for continued learning

The project will result in a 2-3 page reflection and is due one month after your fourth CAEL module. The primary audience for this document is YOU. A facilitator will provide brief feedback.

Each module takes place over 12 weeks, moving through a cycle of learning, application, performance, and demonstration. Throughout the program, you will engage in a range of activities online, plus exercises carried out in your professional context.

Online activities include:

• Reading
• Watching videos
• Taking short assessments
• Participating in small-group virtual discussion, virtual discussion sections, and/or smaller self-organized breakout groups
• Submitting a final project which demonstrates applied learning

The experience is designed to be both rigorous and flexible. The activities are asynchronous, meaning you can choose when within a given week you do them. Each week will require five to seven hours of work, with more guided work during the “learning” weeks (2, 3, 4, and 8) and more job-embedded practice and application during the other weeks of the module. Each participant will have a designated online learning facilitator whom he or she can contact directly for support.

CAEL is intended for current leaders in preK-12 school systems, including:

• Superintendents and district-level administrators
• Directors of charter management organizations
• Administrators at state agencies
• Experienced principals and teachers who aspire to system-level roles
• Teams of education leaders seeking to strengthen their skills and collaborative capabilities

Elizabeth City is lecturer on education and the faculty director of the Doctor of Education Leadership Program at HGSE. City has served as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and consultant. In each role, she focused on helping all children, and the educators who work with them, realize their full potential. She is author of many publications, including Strategy in Action: How School Systems Can Support Powerful Learning and Teaching; Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning, and Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning.

Enrollment Instructions

Step One
You will be asked to provide your personal profile and organizational information.

Step Two
You will be asked to respond to the following questions:

1. Explain how participation in the program will benefit your work, and describe one or more significant challenges you would like to explore during the program. (250 word limit)
2. In what ways do you expect your particular skills, experience, and perspective to contribute to group discussions? (250 word limit)

Enrollment Instructions

Identify Your Team Coordinator

• Before beginning the application process, you will need to identify a team coordinator.
• The coordinator will be the primary point of contact during the application process and preparation for the program.
• The coordinator must participate in the program and all team members must enroll in the same module to be eligible for the team rate.

The Application Process

1. A team application to be completed once by the coordinator.
2. A team member application to be completed by each member of your team.

• In order for your team to be considered for review by the admissions committee, each team member will need to complete the team member application. The coordinator will receive a link to the team member application once the team application is complete.
• Once started, the team application must be completed in a single session. It should take 15–20 minutes to complete.
• A list of required questions will be provided at the beginning of the team application.
• When your coordinator is ready to complete the team application, it can be accessed by continuing to the next page.

Tuition includes all instructional materials. Participants receive a certificate of competency as well as a letter confirming the amount of clock hours awarded per module (60 hours). CAEL does not provide course hour equivalents. 

Payment or a purchase order must be received within thirty days of program acceptance and prior to the program start. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, an outstanding balance is maintained until payment is rendered. 

Please click here for more information on our on-campus and online refund and withdrawal policies. If you have any additional questions or concerns about your ability to participate, please contact our admissions team at ppe@gse.harvard.edu or 1-800-545-1849.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. In the unlikely event of program changes, the school is not responsible for non-refundable travel arrangements or other planning expenses incurred.

Planning Questions

What is the format and work involved in this certificate program?
Each module takes place over 12 weeks, moving through a cycle of learning, application, performance, and demonstration. Throughout the program, you will engage in a range of activities online, plus exercises carried out in your professional context.

Online activities include:

• Reading
• Watching videos
• Taking short assessments
• Participating in small-group virtual discussion, virtual discussion sections, and/or smaller self-organized breakout groups
• Submitting a final project which demonstrates applied learning

The experience is designed to be both rigorous and flexible. The activities are asynchronous, meaning you can choose when within a given week you do them. Each week will require five to seven hours of work, with more guided work during the “learning” weeks (2, 3, 4, and 8) and more job-embedded practice and application during the other weeks of the module. Each participant will have a designated online learning facilitator whom he or she can contact directly for support. 

Do I need to take the five modules in a specific sequence? Which module should I start with?
CAEL is designed to support flexibility; you can begin with any module and complete them in any sequence. Participants pursuing the full certificate must complete four of the five CAEL modules, including Leading Learning, within 24 months of beginning the program. Leading Learning, the required module, is the core for certification and can be taken at any point within the certificate timeline. 

I see that multiple modules are scheduled during the same or overlapping dates. Can I take more than one module at a time?
With consideration for the estimated weekly commitment of 5-7 hours and that most CAEL participants are simultaneously working as new or aspiring district/system leaders, we strongly discourage participation in more than one module at the same time.  

Are there on-campus or in-residence opportunities for participants enrolled in CAEL?
CAEL is offered as an exclusively online program and currently does not involve any on-campus participation.

If I am already enrolled in one of the CAEL modules, do I need to apply again in order to enroll in the next module?
Participants will not be required to apply again for subsequent modules and instead will be sent, about a month in advance of the next module, an invitation to be automatically enrolled. The invitation email will include instructions to confirm participation.

Is it possible to participate in these modules from a different country? And from a different system and context?
Participants are not required to to be working in U.S. contexts. CAEL is designed to be inclusive of diverse and international education leaders, and participation across time zones should not impact the learning experience. CAEL is asynchronous; within an agreed-upon time period, learners choose when to access content (video and readings), complete assignments, and report out on job-embedded practice. 

Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) Credential Questions

What is the certificate that I will receive upon completion of a specific module?
Upon the completion of each individual module, participants will receive a certificate of participation for the specific module by email. In addition, participants will receive a clock hour document and a signed letter that confirms their participation.

What is the certificate that I will receive upon completion of all four modules?
Upon completion of four modules, including Leading Learning, within a 24-month time period, participants will receive a certificate by mail with the HGSE shield and signed by the faculty chair. 

Do participants have the option to earn academic credit through CAEL? Can course hour equivalents be provided?
CAEL does not provide academic credit and instead provides a certificate of competency as well as a letter confirming the amount of clock hours awarded per module (60 hours). CAEL does not provide course hour equivalents. 

Does the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership offer graduate credits or a transcript?
The Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership is a professional development program, and does not offer graduate credits, an academic transcript, or grades.

Could I eventually apply credit that I earn in CAEL toward the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program at HGSE?
While the content of the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) is based on the curriculum of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program at HGSE, it is not considered a replacement for the Ed.L.D. Program and it does not provide academic credit.

Does the CAEL Certificate lead to administrative certification? Does CAEL qualify for my state specific licensure program?

Participants should inquire with the accrediting board/organization of the certification/licensure that they are seeking in order to determine whether participation in CAEL would meet their criteria. CAEL has not currently sought approval from specific certification and licensure programs.

Does completion of this program grant alumni status?
Participants in professional education programs are not considered alumni of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.