From the director

Since our last issue of The Leader, multiple exciting developments have taken place. In this issue you will note that we now have a formal certificate program titled certificate in PK-12 administration. This certificate is a pathway to earning licensure in each of the four areas superintendent, K-12 principal, director of community education or director of special education. It may also be taken without the goal of licensure. It is formally recognized on the student’s graduate transcript and also enables students to apply for student loans, two benefits that did not exist under the non-certificate option.

A new cohort has been designed to begin in January 2004. The administration of community and alternative education cohort is designed to focus on the preparation of directors of community education and principals/leaders of alternative schools such as ALCs, charter schools, and sober schools. We have a wonderful team of advisers from the University and the field who are serving as our mentors.

We are increasing our online options for courses and looking at new ways to schedule on-campus courses to improve convenience and accessibility. This is being done within our commitment to quality, rigor, and personal attention. Another key technology development is associated with the licensure portfolios, which are now required in an electronic format with the recommended eFolio Minnesota software. This program is available at no cost to all citizens of Minnesota.

April 2004 is our scheduled time for our next program evaluation by the Minnesota Board of School Administrators. This is an exciting time during which we are in the process of reviewing all of our current programs, processes and procedures associated with licensure. One of the most important outcomes is the fine-tuning of our vision statement, “Committed to the integration of professional wisdom, empirical evidence, and authentic practice in the preparation of school administrators.” Our program has been built on these beliefs since the 1997 licensure rule changes. Seeing these beliefs reinforced in NCLB literature (NAESP and NASSP, K-12 Principals Guide to No Child Left Behind, 2003, pp. 10-11) has been most reassuring.

We continue with our belief in the important role “professional wisdom” plays in the implementation and continuous improvement of our licensure program as well as the in the preparation of individual licensure candidates. To those ends practitioners play an important role in the following areas, among others:

• As review panel members
• Traditional advisory groups
• Our new online advisory group – providing daily reflective commentary
• Mentors to students for field experiences
• Mentors to students in countless course projects and studies
• Speakers and instructors in courses and workshops

We are very grateful for each individual’s generosity in his or her contributions of expertise, time, and commitment.

The program’s new Web site is up and running. It has a slightly different look but the important element of the Web site is our hope that it is found to be very useful to not only aspiring administrators but those who are practitioners as well. For example the resources link provides easy links to multiple professional organizations, publications and other areas of interest.

There is always more to think about, more to explore, and more to do in our continuous improvement model for providing licensing and leadership development at the University of Minnesota. We believe that we are here to serve the citizens of Minnesota and that those same individuals are part of our team. Thanks to each of you for your generosity of ideas and mentorship, among the many contributions being made by so many to the preparation of educational leaders in Minnesota.

Ann Zweber Werner, Ph.D.

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