Berkeley Leadership Programs

10/22/2026

Alum spotlight: Olufemi Ogundele, LEAD Cohort 1 alum and associate vice chancellor and dean of enrollment at UC Berkeley, shares how the university evaluates applications holistically and recommends applicants write about their "why" in US News:

Olufemi Ogundele, associate vice chancellor and dean of enrollment at University of California, Berkeley, shares how the university evaluates applications holistically and recommends applicants write about their "why."

10/22/2026

Join Bay Area educational leaders on a field visit to New Orleans, February 21–24, 2027!

By popular demand, the Educational Leadership Learning Accelerator is expanding access to the Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) EdD program’s signature place-based learning experiences. Through a series of site visits and discussions, we will spend four days investigating intergenerational, cross-sector systems’ responses to educational injustice. Apply now to be considered for this unique opportunity:

By popular demand, the Educational Leadership Learning Accelerator is opening up access to the Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) EdD program's signature place-based learning experiences. Join LEAD students and other bay area educational leaders on a February 21-24, 2027 field visit to New Orle...

10/16/2026

Last month, Berkeley School of Education Dean Michelle Young and Professor Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu wrapped up a productive visit with Oslo Metropolitan University partners Guri Skedsmo and Ruth Jensen for a Peder Sather-funded research project, Supporting Students’ Needs Through Boundary Work. The project asks: How can school leaders and interdisciplinary teams break down organizational siloes to better support students with complex needs?

This time in Oslo allowed the team to refine conceptual frameworks, share empirical research, and plan out the next stages of their partnership. They also visited Kuben Upper Secondary School, which provided grounding for their theoretical discussions and insights into how boundary work unfolds in practice.

Heartfelt thanks to Guri Skedsmo, Ruth Jensen, Axel Aubert, and the teams at Kuben Upper Secondary School and Oslo Metropolitan University for their exceptional hospitality and thought partnership. Thank you also to Melissa Virrueta-Peters, Maggie Chan, and Renee Starowicz for supporting this project as researchers.

10/16/2026

Join the Berkeley School of Education on Thursday, November 5, 4–5 pm, via Zoom, for a talk by Dr. Jeanette Mancilla-Martinez (Associate Professor, Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University): "Language and Reading Assessment Practices for Multilingual Learners from Spanish-Speaking Homes."

This event is part of the Berkeley Reading Research to Practice Speaker Series, which hosts conversations with leading literacy researchers connecting emerging reading and writing research with practice in TK–12 classrooms. Moderated by Dr. Kristin Keane, Assistant Professor of Reading Development at the Berkeley School of Education.

We hope to see you there!

Dr. Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, Vanderbilt University

10/16/2026

Resilience is not a solo act. Read our October news:

10/13/2026

UC Berkeley's Leadership Support Program (LSP) is partnering with California State University, Chico (Chico State) to expand our capacity to serve educational leaders throughout California, including rural areas. Seminars will be offered virtually and coaching will be provided by Chico State.

Know a colleague who’s ready to grow as a leader? Encourage them to contact LSP-Chico coordinator Michael Gulbransen ([email protected]) for more information, and apply by November 2 to join our fall cohort:

Qualtrics sophisticated online survey software solutions make creating online surveys easy. Learn more about Research Suite and get a free account today.

10/12/2026

Interested in becoming a school leader? Sign up for one of our upcoming PLI Info Sessions! Join us on Thursday 10/15, 3:30–5 pm, at the Antioch USD central office, or Tuesday 10/20, 4–5:30 pm, at Pinole Valley High School.
Register: https://berkeley.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_54pc32hFj2Y3Hq6

Video description: Listen to Sammy Tran (PLI Cohort 26) talk about how best to approach the PLI info sessions, with an open mind and heart.

10/08/2026

Are you ready to be an active designer for educational equity? Applications for Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) EdD are now open! Sign up for an info session on 10/21: https://bse.berkeley.edu/lead

Video description: Current student Aimee Heeren shares appreciation for LEAD's foundation in research, mutual support, and equity focus.

10/07/2026

Last call to purchase tickets for Legacies of Leadership—reunite with your cohort and help us celebrate what makes the Principal Leadership Institute special!

Join us on Saturday, October 17 for Legacies of Leadership, a community gathering celebrating Berkeley's Principal Leadership Institute (PLI). The event will bring together the PLI community (Cohorts 1–26) and all four PLI directors, Lynda Tredway, Rebecca Cheung, Soraya Sablo Sutton, and the new Interim Director, Melissa Virrueta-Peters, to toast the program's enduring impact on school communities in the Bay Area and beyond. Reconnect with your cohort and help us celebrate our vibrant community—we hope to see you there!

Tickets won't be available at the door, so purchase tickets in advance here:

Berkeley School of Education Leadership Programs Payment Portal

10/07/2026

Last week, the Berkeley School of Education hosted the book launch and symposium sessions for Leading With Resilience: Voices of Leaders in Challenging Times, edited by Dr. Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu, Dr. Rebecca Cheung, and Dr. Chunyan Yang.

Dean Michelle D. Young opened the event with a reminder that “Resilience is not a solo act,” setting the tone for a discussion on supporting educational leaders through crisis and change. During the conversation, Dr. Cheung highlighted the continuous pressures school leaders face, noting that “principal resilience is always at risk—it’s just the risk factors that change.” To address these ongoing issues, she emphasized that “investments in professional learning are not just luxuries, they’re necessities.”

These themes resonated throughout the symposium sessions, where several of the chapter authors presented. Reflecting on the impact of the research and collaboration behind the project, co-editor Dr. Chunyan Yang shared, “This book planted a lot of seeds, and now we are growing a lot of trees in different areas.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person at Berkeley Way West and via Zoom!

📖 Learn more about the book: https://www.emerald.com/books/edited-volume/21463/Leading-with-ResilienceVoices-of-Leaders-in