Educational Leadership Department
About our Department
The Educational Leadership Department is committed to advancing equity-focused educational leaders across the pathway through its three programs: (1) the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential Program, (2) the Master's of Science in Educational Leadership, and (3) the Educational Leadership Doctoral Degree (Ed.D.) serving students across P12 and higher education.
Mission, Values, and Vision
Mission
The mission of the Department of Educational Leadership of the College of Education and Integrative Studies is to prepare educational leaders to serve the needs of diverse learners, families, schools, and communities across Southern California in ways that are caring, collaborative, and culturally responsive. We are committed to developing transformative educational leaders who embody the values of reflexive self-examination, critical inquiry, and intersectional praxis to lead educational institutions as scholar-practitioners. We commit to providing school leaders with the analytical tools they need to be advocates for equity, social justice, and asset-based approaches that provide opportunities for success to all students, especially historically and persistently minoritized populations.
Values
We emphasize the development of educational leaders grounded in theory and practice—leaders who learn through dialogue, reflection, action, and research. These leaders demonstrate agency, care, and authenticity, and work to transform schools into anti-racist, culturally responsive environments. Through authentic school-community-university partnerships, they foster collaboration and create cultures of care that support social justice, academic excellence, and well-being. Central to this vision is the cultivation of inclusive organizational cultures that honor diversity, disrupt marginalization, and dismantle oppression in all its forms.
Vision
The vision of the Educational Leadership Department and Educational Leadership is to be recognized as the premier program that prepares transformative, equity-minded leaders who advance a more socially just future across educational systems.