Driving Change: A CAEL Module

Announcing CAEL for Graduate Credit

There is now an option to complete CAEL modules for HGSE graduate credit beginning the February 2021 Term. The tuition is $2,995 per person/module. Please note that the application, as well as acceptance specifications, differ from the non-credit CAEL requirements. Should you not be ultimately admitted to the program for HGSE graduate credit, you can always apply and enroll as a non-credit CAEL participant.

Overview

Learn how to manage the change process to drive better outcomes.

Change is a complex process, requiring leaders who understand its stages and ways to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities to achieve outcomes. In Driving Change, you will examine what is known about the change process in school organizations, understand how people experience disruption and change, and learn how to manage constraints and exploit opportunities in order to implement new practices with purpose and success.

Together with other participants, you will explore the principles of change development, beginning with an understanding of how you think about the problem you are trying to solve, followed by how you might approach working with others to develop a theory of action and finally, to develop a strategy. This program will teach you how to scan your educational setting, examining components such as culture, structure, systems, and stakeholders as you consider what you are trying to accomplish and what process might lead you there. You will learn how effective change management targets and develops the various constituencies affected by the proposed change, including leaders at all levels of the organization itself and those outside the organization. Additionally, you will use tools and practice concrete strategies to help you work with others to build awareness of the need for change, a shared mission, and a common agenda.

Program Details

Driving Change takes place over 12 weeks, moving through a cycle of learning, application, performance, and demonstration. Throughout, you will engage in a range of activities online, plus exercises carried out in your professional context. 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, paced work during the “learning” weeks (weeks 2, 3, 4, and 8) and more job-associated practice and application during the other weeks of the module (weeks 5-7 and 9-12).

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Explore how leaders, authorizers, and constituents at all levels of an organization experience change
• Learn how to communicate effectively and build consensus for your organization’s change agenda
• Understand how enacted beliefs can diverge from espoused beliefs and how to create greater alignment between your organization’s mission and its daily actions
• Develop benchmarks leading toward excellence so you can continuously evaluate effectiveness

Who Should Participate

• Current and aspiring leaders in preK-12 school systems, including:
• School or district leadership teams seeking to address a problem of practice
• Teams of education leaders seeking to improve their skills, collaborative capabilities, and impact
• Superintendents and district-level administrators
• Directors of charter management organizations
• Administrators at state agencies
• Experienced principals and teachers who aspire to system-level roles

Taking Driving Change as a Graduate Credit Participant
Participants who have been admitted to complete CAEL modules for HGSE graduate credit should plan to complete their final projects during weeks 9-12. Participants should estimate an additional five hours of study during that period.

Taking Driving Change as a Team
Taking this course as a school-, district-, or organization-level team is a powerful way to enact a collective impact on learning in your system. You can tackle a more significant problem of practice by engaging and collaborating in this material as a team. By identifying unified goals and objectives together, you can collectively apply what you learn as you learn — not only enhancing your team's toolkit but also establishing a throughline and transformed learning culture.

Your team will work on a single, shared problem of practice across the 12 weeks, submitting a single midterm and final project that represents your collective effort. Along the way, you will also have the chance to submit individual assignments where you engaged in personal learning.

About CAEL

Driving Change is one of the five online modules of the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) program, which is based on the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and designed for current and aspiring school system leaders. Please visit the CAEL program page to learn more if you are interested in pursuing the full certificate.

The five modules in the CAEL portfolio are:

• Developing Myself
• Driving Change
• Leading for Excellence and Equity
• Leading Learning (required module for the certificate)
• Managing Evidence

English Language Proficiency Requirements

English language proficiency is a requirement for application to and successful participation in this online course. All participants are expected to have fluency in English, including a basic knowledge of education terminology, in order to effectively engage with the content, complete assignments, and interact with other members of the learning community.

Fees & Policies

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.

Full tuition is due by the indicated payment deadline, please refer to the individual program’s community and application page for payment deadlines. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, full payment is still required by the final payment deadline. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline will result in your withdrawal from the program.

Please click here for more information on payment, refund, and withdrawal policies. The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. The school is not responsible for any planning expenses incurred.

Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance is available for this program on a need- and application-basis. Tuition assistance is granted based on participant and institutional needs. Requests for tuition assistance have no effect on an applicant's prospects for admission. You may access the tuition assistance application after you have submitted your program application.

Closed Captioning and Accessibility

This online course consists of a combination of both pre-recorded videos and live web conferences. The majority of our pre-recorded videos are closed-captioned and accompanied by PDF transcripts. For live events, we will arrange for captioning services upon your request. Please email us at ppe@gse.harvard.edu if you require these accommodations. If possible, requests should be made at least a week in advance. Please note: we will make every effort to secure services, but all are subject to availability.