UCEA is excited to launch its latest communications initiative: In the Lead with UCEA. This podcast presents pivotal conversations with people making an impact on educational leadership preparation, practice, and policy.
Season 1 of In the Lead features The University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) funded by The Wallace Foundation. This innovative effort provided structure, resources, and support to seven university-based principal preparation programs. Through UPPI, those programs partnered with local school districts as well as mentor programs at other institutions that had already undergone their own program redesigns. Four UCEA member institutions and their district partners participated in UPPI and UCEA was an integral partner throughout this initiative.
In reflecting on Season I, Mónica Byrne-Jiménez, Executive Director of UCEA and host of In the Lead with UCEA, says “There was - and still is - so much to learn from the faculty and universities involved in UPPI and the relationships with their district partnerships that created authentic, relevant, and powerful improvements in how they prepare future leaders.”
“We’re so excited to bring UPPI’s story to life through Season 1 of our podcast,” shares Chris Thelen-Creps, Policy and Outreach Coordinator at UCEA HQ and In the Lead producer. “These conversations are so engaging and make a compelling case for the value of equity-oriented, deeply collaborative program redesign.”
Season 1: Faculty Insights from the University Principal Preparation Initiative
As this 6-episode podcast season lays out, several important elements of UPPI from the perspective of the faculty involved in this innovative approach to program redesign.
Episode 1: Faculty Leadership with Richard Gonzales
In our inaugural episode, Mónica chats with Richard about faculty members’ roles in leading program redesign. Their conversation highlights the value of strengthening trust and relationships among program faculty, along with a collective commitment to program improvement.
Episode 2: Partnerships in UPPI with Daniel Reyes-Guerra
In a similar vein, this episode explores relationship building among UPPI partners: preparation programs, school districts, and mentor prep programs. Although challenges arose across differing organizational cultures, relationship building ultimately helped strengthen the ability of the partners to serve the needs of all stakeholders.
Episode 3: Redesigning for Sustainability with Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda
Improvement in the short term is important, but sustainability of improvements is essential to long-term success and viability. Mónica and Alejandro discuss the importance of developing and implementing a long-term collective vision for program improvement.
Episode 4: Diversity and Equity in UPPI with Bonnie Fusarelli
Programs kept equity at the center of every stage of the program redesign process. Through a multilayered, iterative process involving strategies like community dialogue and self reflection, Bonnie and her colleagues at NC State envisioned and worked toward collective equity goals for their program.
Episode 5: Mentoring other Programs with Shelby Cosner
While program redesign for equity is deeply challenging, support from programs who have been there before made a big impact on UPPI programs. Mónica and Shelby discuss the “cycles of inquiry” approach that the University of Illinois-Chicago took to supporting its partner at the University of Connecticut.
Episode 6: Learnings from RAND Research with Susan Gates
From start to finish, UPPI maintained an important collaborative research relationship with RAND, which conducted two research studies on UPPI, one at the launch in 2018 and another at the conclusion in 2022. In Episode 6: Learnings from RAND Research, Susan Gates reflects on her experiences studying UPPI and unpacks some of the most important insights from the initiative.
Want to learn more about how to engage in collaborative and sustainable leadership preparation program redesign? Check out Season 1 of In the Lead with UCEA on your favorite podcast streaming platform. And stay tuned for Season 2: Reflections on UCEA 70th Anniversary with Past Presidents. In the Lead brings you new episodes and interviews every other week celebrating UCEA’s 70th anniversary and exploring insights with some of UCEA’s past presidents.