Harvard Develops Ed Leadership Corps

With sagging graduation rates across the country, and U.S. math and science scores lagging behind those in many other industrialized nations, Harvard University seeks to transform the American education system by creating a new generation of leaders, the Harvard Gazette reports.

In the fall of 2010, 25 men and women will arrive at Harvard for a three-year, practice-based advanced degree. They will graduate with a tuition-free Harvard doctorate in education leadership (Ed.L.D.).

A goal of this innovative program, founders said, is to develop a corps of education leaders — trained to lead school districts, nonprofit organizations, government agencies etc. — that can target failing U.S. schools and change the education landscape.
 
The program will be based at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) in collaboration with faculty from the Harvard Business School (HBS) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government (HKS).

Using a multidisciplinary approach, the degree incorporates training in education, management and leadership, as well as politics and policy. Developers said the interfaculty element is fundamental to the leadership degree.

The first year’s curriculum is organized into three strands: the education sector, learning and teaching, and leadership and management. Students will spend time in teams working on projects and simulations, as well as in school systems helping diagnose and solve specific problems.

“They have to be able to execute good ideas,” said the program’s Executive Director Elizabeth City. "This is a very action-oriented type of pedagogy; it is much more oriented toward action and hands-on work.”

For the complete story, visit news.harvard.edu.