Changing from Traditional Practice to a New Model for Preparing Future Leaders

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

The document describes how Kansas State University’s Educational Leadership Department transitioned building-level leader preparation from a traditional format to a partnership academy model. It profiles key faculty roles in designing and delivering customized 30-hour master’s programs across multiple districts and cohorts. The text explains the academy’s shift from principal preparation to teacher leadership, district-university contributions, and the option to add department courses for state-issued licensing requirements. It also outlines planning principles focused on aligning leadership program requirements with each district’s context and needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

The Shift to a New Partnership Model

From Traditional Practice to Future Leaders

Academy Focus: Teacher Leadership

Options for Licensing and Degree Completion

District and University Roles as Partners

Planning Principles and Context Alignment

Contributions to a Teacher Leadership Academy

University faculty involved in both traditional and academy programs reflect on their experiences with the changing delivery format. Changing from Traditional Practice to a New Model for Preparing Future Leaders Mary Devin, Donna Augustine-Shaw, and Robert F. Hachiya Dr. Mary Devin is a Professor of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University and has been directly involved with master’spartnerships since the program began. She served as a school superintendent partner in the first two years of the model and as the university partner liaison for the last fourteen years. Dr. Donna Augustine-Shaw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University. She began her 24-year career in education as a classroom teacher, and has served as a building principal, district-level administrator, and superintendent of schools in Kansas. Dr. Augustine-Shaw holds an Ed.D in Educational Administration from Wichita State University. She is currently serving as the lead facilitator/instructor for two district partnership master’s leadership academies. Dr. Robert F. Hachiya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University. He taught in middle schools and high schools in Kansas, and was a middle school principal and highschool assistant principal before arriving at Kansas State University in 2012. He holds an Ed.D from the University of Kansas. Dr. Hachiya has taught in the Topeka Public Schools Leadership Academy and also teaches several building-level licensure classes. In dramatic departure from the traditional format of programs preparing building level leaders, in the last sixteen years the Educational Leadership Department in the College of Education at Kansas State University (KSU) has worked with eight different partners in designing and delivering site-based customized 30-hour master’s degree programs in educational leadership to 19 individual cohorts. New programs scheduled to begin within the next two semesters will increase the number of individual cohorts to 21 and the number of different partners to 9.1 Since the first master’s academies in 2000, the academy focus has moved from preparing candidates for principal positions to the broader vision of teacher leadership, recognizing that today’s leadership relies on a team, not an individual.2 Leadership skills are needed by those in both teacher and principal positions. Such a change to developing leadership capacity at the teacher level gave rise to requests for an ongoing series of teacher leadership academies within the same districts. Most often, academies are partnerships between the Educational Leadership Department and a single school district, but four have involved two (and in one case three) districts working together with the university to add synergy across districts to enhance learning about leadership. Along with the shift to teacher leadership, academy participants are given the option of independently adding two traditional department courses to complete credit requirements for a state-issued building-level leaders’ license. Honoring standards for accreditation of its preparation program and responsibility for student access to state licensure for leadership positions, the university grants successful completers a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership with the option of completing these two additional courses to meet requirements for a principal’s license. 44 Vol. 43, No. 4, Fall 2016 The District and the University as Partners The most significant difference between the traditional preparation programs and the partnership academy model is the new role for the school district – partnering with the university to prepare teachers to be leaders in that district. A true partnership begins by seeking new benefits from mutual interests and exploring potential commitments from those involved, not one entity working for “buy in” from the other. In the academy

FAQs

What change does the document describe in leadership preparation programs?

It describes moving from a traditional program format to a new partnership academy model that prepares teachers to lead within their own districts.

How has the focus of the academy evolved since the first master’s academies?

It moved from preparing candidates for principal positions to a broader vision of teacher leadership, emphasizing leadership as a team-based responsibility.

What planning approach does the document emphasize for university and district partnerships?

Planning is presented as aligning university leadership program requirements with the specific district context where leadership will be applied, making each academy unique.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag