Summary of Organization/Unit

Center X in UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies seeks applications for a Director of its Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) Program. PLI is designed to attract outstanding diverse educators who have recognized potential and who have administrative interests to serve in the most marginalized communities. This rigorous14-month program grants a Master’s degree as well as a California Tier 1 Administrative Credential. The successful candidate will provide leadership in the administration, design, and teaching of the program.

PLI is a part of Center X in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies (Ed&IS). Center X was established in 1994 with a vision to dramatically change schooling for the underserved students of Los Angeles. It provides a unique setting where researchers and practitioners collaborate to design and conduct programs that prepare and support K-12 teachers and administrators in urban schools. Center X serves as a local and national resource for professional development and is home to over thirteen programs, projects and affiliates, the Teacher Education Program, and the Principal Leadership Institute. These combined resources are focused on the mission of transforming public schooling to create a more just, equitable, and humane society.

Principal Leadership Institute

For the past 25 years, PLI has committed to develop and support community-based diverse leaders who are guided by socially just principles and are devoted to transforming urban schools into places where all students thrive. PLI has educated over 850 exceptional graduates who overwhelming come from the communities they serve, acting as agents of change by making schools more equitable. This dynamic program prepares leaders to enter the workforce ready to grapple with the shifting sociopolitical culture and confront racial injustice that harm the constituents of urban schools. Through engagement with rigorous and innovative course work, PLI students investigate areas such as improvement science, culturally sustaining pedagogy, critical race theory, and asset-based data analysis, then apply their learning to hands on experience in fieldwork. PLI graduates leave with an unwavering commitment to social and racial justice, and the imperative to make a difference in the schools they serve.

PLI is also home to the Reciprocal Learning Partnerships for Equity Framework (RLP). RLP is a framework that supports and empowers leaders to explicitly identify inequitable practices in classrooms and schools and to take action that will lead to improved student outcomes. PLI intentionally centers this framework in the program to highlight the critical need to understand that new knowledge is co-constructed through interactions, and that only new knowledge will disrupt institutionalized practices of inequity. PLI graduates leave the program as experts in conducting RLP conversations and facilitating educators to act on equity problems of practice.

Summary of Position

The program requires a collaborative, passionate and innovative director that brings a record of successful school leadership and action reflecting the principles of anti-racism and theories of progressive and innovative learning and leading. A successful candidate is someone who thinks creatively about the preparation of school leaders, embodies the theory that knowledge is co-constructed, not imparted, and builds community as well as fosters cross-organizational collaboration.

Type of Supervision

Reporting to the Chair of the Department of Education and the executive director of Center X, the director is responsible for the administration and coordination of the development, implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and improvement of the PLI program. Under the direction of the Ed&IS Chair, and working in coordination with the PLI faculty director, the PLI director will establish operational and programmatic objectives and create strategies to increase program resources, and effectiveness of outreach for prospective students.

Core Responsibilities Administration

• Prepare equity minded, and racially and socially just action-oriented leaders for the field.
• Manage the administration of the PLI program, including but not limited to, recruitment, faculty hiring and evaluation, fiscal management, course alignment, and administrative Tier II program.
• Define strategic goals for the program, including but not limited to, curriculum development, recruitment, admissions, and scholarships of students, faculty/instructor recruitment, and special events for students, alumni, and the community at large.
• Supervise the accreditation process, including developing and submitting all materials, and ensuring the program meets the accrediting recommendations.
• Manage internal systems and processes to effectively support the program.
• Work collaboratively with the PLI faculty leadership and Center X leadership to deepen programmatic offerings and strengthen the program.

• Adhere and oversee the implementation of program level and state assessments.
• Comply in accordance with the MA degree guidelines of the university.
• Ensure program alignment and compliance with state credential requirements.
• Remove barriers to the recruitment and retention of students belonging to historically and structurally marginalized groups.
• Articulate PLI’s vision and mission for the preparation of innovative racial and social justice leaders.

Fiscal development and sustainability

• Oversee the PLI operating budget, supporting, and facilitating the needs and activities of the program.
• Prepare program budgets, status reports, and any other reports as needed.
• Initiate and strengthen relationships with potential funding sources (federal and private funding) to support student scholarships and the operation of PLI.
• Navigate fiscal constraints and oversee compliance for the program.

Supervision

• Supervise program staff and provide on-going professional development that supports the growth and development of PLI staff and faculty.
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships.
• Conduct job performance evaluations.
• Create an environment that fosters open discussion with the freedom to express varied points of view.

Internal and External Relations

• Provide service to the university and to the community and establish partnerships with Local Education Agencies.
• Represent PLI on various ED&IS committees and at various university and external meetings, events, conferences, and community engagements.

Teaching and learning

• Implement anti-racist theory and ideals throughout the program.
• Develop, plan, prepare, and teach courses in PLI as the principal instructor or co-instructor.
• Mentor and advise current students and create and develop opportunities that enhance the educational experience of PLI students.
• Navigate complex situations with students and faculty.
• Remain abreast of cutting-edge research in education by participating and presenting in conferences and workshops at a local and national level.

Qualifications:

• As a normal requirement, the appointee should have the terminal or top degree in the appointee’s field e.g., Ed.D., Ph.D., or the highest degree that is commonly expected for appointment in the activity.
• A minimum of five years of experience as an educator (PK-12), higher education/student affairs administrator, and/or school leader.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience as a school administrator in an urban setting.
• Knowledge of current educational theories and research related to school leadership, school reform and urban communities.
• Knowledge of educational policy, practice, and politics in California.
• A history of relationships with educational leaders in Southern California.
• A record of progressive and successful academic administrative or other leadership experience at the program, department, college, or university level.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice and equity, diversity, inclusion, and access.
• A successful and innovative record of teaching, scholarship, and service that reflect a social justice and equity lens.
• Knowledgeable of the state credentialing requirements and CalAPA assessment for preliminary administrative credential.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels; demonstrated effectiveness in building teams and collaborations; ability to adapt as needed.
• Skills in problem identification and creative problem solving, sound judgment and decision making, critical thinking and analysis, organizational skills, emotional intelligence, and cultural humility.
• Strong training, facilitation, and presentation skills for audiences of varying sizes and composition.
• Understanding of concepts and theories related to anti-racism, racial equity, and critical race theory and how to operationalize those concepts and theories into multi-layered course activities and programming.
• Proven ability to lead conversations about diversity, inclusion, and racial and social justice.
• Track record of program implementation, strategic planning, and managing across multiple important priorities.
• Advanced understanding of issues affecting historically underrepresented/underserved communities in all dimensions, including issues of disparities in educational background, class, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexuality, and immigration status.