Harvard Instructional Leadership Certificate

Build your instruction leadership skills and distinguish yourself as teacher leader and knowledgeable other.

The Instructional Leadership Certificate (ILC) will enable you to build your skills so as to model effective practice to lead other teacher learners. During the program you will engage with relevant problems of practice that address emerging and common challenges of instructional leadership that occur in your own professional context and practice. 

The ILC program is a series of applied learning programs designed to meld the latest in research, and instructional leadership designed to enable you to be a knowledgeable other and leader within your community of practice.

Audience

Designed for Victorian government middle school leaders, school leadership teams, assistant principals, learning specialists and program leaders. Teachers working towards those roles are also encouraged to apply.

Facilitators

Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Structure of program

The Instructional Leadership Certificate (ILC) consists of four 6-week online programs designed to build capacity in those who serve or aspire to serve in instructional leadership roles, such as program leaders, middle leaders, leading and Leading Specialist teachers, department heads, and Assistant Principals. All programs address 3 certificate throughlines: Advanced Instructional Excellence; Leading and Motivating Educators; Aligning Purpose and Practice. 

To earn the Instructional Leadership Certificate, participants must complete all four ILC programs. 

Articulating the Intangibles of Teaching: Aligning Your Purpose and Practice for Instructional Leadership 

Excavate the intangibles of teaching, aligning mission, vision, methods, decisions, and student work in a comprehensive, personal language of practice to share the why, what, and how of instruction. 

Teachers Mentoring Teachers: Practices for Powerful Professional Communities

Explore mentoring relationships at different stages of a career in teaching. Learn the best practices that are specific to the teaching profession. 

Instructional Coaching Through Change: Supporting Teachers in Action 

Leverage instructional coaching relationships to help teachers fulfill their visions for instructional improvement, student engagement, and professional growth. 

Leading Teacher Teams: Promoting Growth Through Effective Collaboration 

Develop a deeper understanding of the strategies and needs of adult learners and learning to use collaboration to foster educator growth and enhance student learning.

Articulating the Intangibles of Teaching is the recommended foundational program, though programs may be completed in any order, across a flexible schedule. 

The programs are asynchronous and accessed via Harvard’s Canvas learning platform and are divided into six one-week modules, which consist of three to four hours of work per week that include a practice challenge for participants to apply learning in their context. There are opportunities for individual reflection and application as well as peer feedback throughout the program, and participants will be awarded 20 PD clock hours upon completion of each program.

Attendance requirements

To successfully complete this program, you will need to undertake 3-4 hours of work per week that includes a practice challenge. This work can be done when the participant chooses.

Learning outcomes

You’ll gain knowledge and understanding of in how to: 

• build skills which surface and model effective practice to lead adult learners
• engage with relevant problems of practice that address common challenges of instructional leadership for self and team
• apply knowledge, skills, and insights to practice leadership in your own professional context
• influence colleagues to engage with improvements in practice.

Fees and financial support

Fully subsidised by the Department of Education for Victorian government school participants.