In navigating the current climate of higher education in the United States, university faculty and staff are increasingly tasked with doing more with less. In this article, we explore the value of micro-credentials as a way to benefit both students and universities. We include an account of the successful creation of several graduate certificate…

The growing demand for leadership competencies in the global workforce has expanded undergraduate programs integrating leadership theory, organizational development, and data-driven decision-making. This paper examines the development of an undergraduate leadership program evaluation at a liberal arts college in the southern United States.…

This article focuses on the research and scholarship of leadership training. We begin by defining and giving context to the concept of leadership training. Then, we provide a high-level literature review of the history and components of leadership training (e.g., content, pedagogy, and assessment). Next, we connect leadership training with the…

This article examines various applications of the leadership identity development (LID) grounded theory and model and explores the process used to apply LID to the construction of collegiate student leadership development experiences. Featured programs include those that use LID as a design element of the program, but do not explicitly teach it;…

The social change model is one of the most used leadership models at colleges and universities around the globe. With this article, we explore the social change model (SCM) as a framework for socially responsible leadership program design. We discuss the SCM, its history, and the evolution of this approach. Furthermore, we highlight critiques of…

This article explores the theoretical underpinnings of life-transformative education and gifted education and applies them to a university honors program. Life-transformative education requires authentic learning experiences and rich mentorship relationships to promote happiness, well-being, and a sense of purpose. This is intended for all…

What makes a leadership preparation program exemplary? All three exemplary programs featured in this special issue evidence strong learning orientations and more sustained improvement work in their pursuit of exemplary preparation. I therefore examine exemplary preparation from a process perspective that emphasizes continuous improvement. To help…

The field of educational leadership has also come to recognize the central importance of improving the quality of leadership preparation across leaders' careers, including at the doctoral level, for strengthening equitable teaching and learning in schools. What do doctoral programs that strive to realize such equity goals do? With what results? In…

Undergraduate internships are among one of the several high impact practices (HIPs) related to deep learning, self-reported gains, and effective educational practices (Kuh, 2008). HIPs, as measured by the National Survey on Student Engagement, utilize active learning practices, and share several traits: (1) they demand considerable time and…

In this chapter, we review and critique the literature on school leadership preparation and evidence use. The chapter is organized into three sections. In "What is Evidence and What is evidence Use?" we explore distinctions in the ways that scholars and practitioners have come to conceptualize evidence use and consider the implications…

Purpose: Fundamental aspects of educational leadership preparation programs regarding social justice are embodied in program design elements, yet the scholarly community did not adequately address these issues. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The essay suggests that organizational theories dealing with…

There has been significant interest in developing academics through Teaching Scholar Development Programs across the USA, Canada, the UK, and more recently in Australia. At their core, such programs develop academics across teaching scholarship, leadership, promotion, and award opportunities, where universities reap the benefits of developing such…

There is growing potential for the development of practitioner-based doctor of education (EdD) programs as potential students in the field recognize that they do not need to leave their current work positions to obtain a doctorate particularly if it enhances their work. This article chronicles 1 university's process in developing an innovative…

This article tries to "put a face" on the complex and abstract process of program change in relation to key principles from the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). We examine the principles of the "scholarship of practice," "laboratory of practice," and "signature pedagogy" within a…

In 2013, the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in its inaugural "Exemplary Educational Leadership Preparation" (EELP) program competition recognized University of Illinois at Chicago's (UIC) Doctorate in Urban Education Leadership as one of two EELP programs in the United States. This article provides information…