Navigating Complexity: A Leadership Program for Principals

Gain the support of HGSE faculty and a collaborative community of school leaders in a new program designed to strengthen your leadership practices.

Overview

We are living in a time of disruptions that have had a tremendous impact on educators, students, and families around the world. Many of our beliefs and assumptions about school and our role as school leaders have been challenged, and yet our communities still look to us to guide them forward. The challenges for school principals are unprecedented and require a new approach to the work of leading schools.

Working in small groups and supported by HGSE faculty and experienced facilitators, Navigating Complexity: A Leadership Program for Principals will engage participants in collaborative activities designed to strengthen their leadership skills around learning themes critical to successful school leadership. Topics will include: equity, social-emotional learning, family and community engagement, school culture, and strategy. By the end of the program, participants will have confidence in their leadership skills and decision-making abilities, along with the support of a lasting peer community

Program Details

During this six week professional development course, participants will spend approximately 18 hours engaged in synchronous and asynchronous learning. In each of the five content areas, participants will learn through a balance of faculty-led videos and readings, individual reflection, interactive collaboration, and small group sessions. Faculty and facilitators will guide participants to apply their learning in practice, while a strong peer community will provide a support network to test ideas and problem solve. Weekly live sessions, facilitated by HGSE faculty member Katherine Merseth, will provide coherence and connect overarching themes with current and future work.

Schedule for Live Sessions for Eastern Time (ET)

Sessions for this program are scheduled to be held on the dates listed below and are expected to last 45 minutes.

Thursday, April 21, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Optional welcome and meet and greet
Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Culture
Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Family engagement
Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Equity
Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Social-emotional learning (SEL)
Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET: Strategy

Schedule for Live Sessions for Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)

Sessions for this program are scheduled to be held on the dates listed below and are expected to last 45 minutes.

Friday, April 22, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST: Optional welcome and meet and greet
Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST: Culture
Thursday, May 5, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST: Family engagement
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST: Equity
Thursday, May 19, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST: Social-emotional learning (SEL)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 8:30 a.m. AEST:  Strategy

Learning Goals

• Examine your leadership practices through the lenses of school culture, equity, social-emotional learning, family and community engagement, and strategy
• Learn new frameworks and best practices for leading your school and managing complex, competing initiatives
• Collaborate with experienced program facilitators and a supportive peer network to implement strategies that will ensure equity and success for all students.
• Establish communities of practice to discuss challenges and opportunities in reopening schools

Who Should Participate

• Principals and assistant principals
• Department heads, instructional coaches, and other school-based leaders

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

Full tuition is due by the indicated payment deadline, which you may find above or on the program’s community page. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, full payment is still required by the payment deadline. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline will result in your withdrawal from the program. Click here for more information on payment, refund, and withdrawal policies.

Tuition includes all instructional materials required for participation in the program. 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.

Closed Captioning and Accessibility

The majority of our pre-recorded videos are closed-captioned and accompanied by PDF transcripts. For live events, we will arrange for captioning services. Please email us at ppe@gse.harvard.edu if you require these or other 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.