Fowler & Cowden Innovative Leadership Preparation Program

Fowler, G. L., & Cowden, W. K. (2015, May). Get real – Improve leadership learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(8), 43-51.

Summary: This article describes an innovative educational leadership program from Shippensburg University. Basically, they created a leadership program to prepare superintendents where they made every course a practicum experience. Drawing upon Dennis, Burns, Tricarico, van Ingen, Jacobs, and Davis (in press) this program would be considered clinically-rich. Initial survey data showed that participants were positive about the program specifically with regard to the flexibility and convenience of being able to learn within the context in which they are working. This changed caused the university faculty to rethink how they prepared and delivered “coursework” and how they supported the future superintendents’ learning in the field.