About

Overview
In 1996, the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at California State University, California, initiated a unique Urban Leadership Program. The program leads to the Preliminary Administrative Credential, while combining course requirements for a Masters Degree. The Urban Leadership Program has graduated eight cohorts of students who represent the diversity of urban districts (45% African American, 19% Latino, 14% White, 11% Southeast Asian, 11%Asian). Students come from over twenty districts, including Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, and Del Paso Heights. The program has a high rate of administrative employment for its graduates, with many of the students becoming Intern Vice Principals even before completing their coursework.

Urban Leadership Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Urban Leadership Program is to graduate educational leaders who have a strong commitment to the improvement of urban schools and communities, who provide advocacy for students and families in need, and who have the high level skills to implement change in complex political systems

Urban Collective Steering Board Mission Statement
The mission of the Urban Collective Steering Board is to collectively support the work of the Urban Leadership Program, by serving as a resource to past, present, and future graduates and by building a strong presence at CSUS and in the urban communities.

Philosophy
Through integrative coursework, the students engage in a field-based action research project that is aimed at improving the process of teaching and learning in urban schools. The philosophical foundation for the learning experience is built on four cornerstones:

Awareness [realizations; perceptions; knowledge]
Commitment [a pledge; a binding promise or agreement]
Effectiveness [producing a desired effect]
Advocacy [the act or process of supporting]

Goals
The goals of the Urban Leadership Program are:

to create a dynamic for school improvement that is engaging, hopeful, and positive.
to build capacity and sustainability.
to develop leaders that are skilled at strategic planning.
to develop leaders that are proficient in research & analysis
to develop leaders with an interdisciplinary background
to create avenues for continuous learning.
to create a movement for school improvement that is exciting and fulfilling, rather than judgmental and punishing

Characteristics of Graduates
The Urban Leadership Program meets its goals by developing school leaders who embody the following characteristics:

Highly skilled practitioners
Reflective thinkers who understand systemic change
Value urban communities
Courageous change agents
Make use of meaningful assessment tools
Use developmental research for change process
Include all stakeholders
Personal integrity and strong work ethic
Match the racial/ethnic demographics of their communities