To help teachers make a difference in their districts and communities, our innovative online Teacher Leadership program offers graduate certificates that can lead to a master’s degree. Our coursework threads reflective practices, content mastery and skill development throughout so that students can practice leadership skills as they engage with the curriculum. This program is offered entirely online and is organized around asynchronous (course work completed at separate times) as well as synchronous formats (meeting virtually at the same time).
Teacher Leadership - Master of Arts (MA)
To earn the master's degree, students will complete three graduate certificates. Each certificate blends together on-demand, self-paced online courses with a synchronous capstone course held in the summer. These affordable certificates have been designed for educators looking to enhance their skills and capacities as classroom teachers and leaders and to make a difference in their schools and local communities. Students can choose to take classes and separately complete certificates without enrolling in the full MA program.
Graduate Certificates in Teacher Leadership
The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning - Graduate Certificate
The certificate in Social and Emotional Learning provides practicing teachers with requisite background knowledge, understanding, and preparation so as to engage students in social and emotional learning. In order for teachers to enable students to become more aware and understanding of their own and others’ emotions, teachers need to understand their own emotions as well.
The arena of social and emotional learning is a new, growing, and much needed public school curricular domain. During the last three decades, public schools have focused almost exclusively on cognitive academic outcomes. While some progress has been achieved, the consensus seems to be that a renewed emphasis on the whole student needs to be restored. At the same time teachers’ professional work conditions have deteriorated. Teachers new to the field are leaving the profession at greater rates than in the past. Teacher “burnout” is a recognized and acknowledged public education phenomenon.
Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students - Graduate Certificate
The certificate in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education will offer teachers an introduction to the history and current policy and laws that relate to emerging bilingual learners in Colorado public schools. Teachers will learn about the process of language acquisition, develop skills and strategies to teach English and adapt their curriculum and instruction to the developing needs of emerging bilingual learners, and learn key strategies for engaging diverse families in their school and classroom communities.
Leading for Change in Science Assessment Practice - Graduate Certificate
In this certificate, teachers learn how to adapt, develop and pilot assessments that elicit students’ integrated understanding of disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts and that connect to students’ interests and identities. This certificate supports the needs of partnerships in Colorado and beyond in to develop assessment systems aligned to new science standards.
Cultivating Compassion and Dignity in Ourselves and Our Schools - Graduate Certificate
The four-course certificate explores the ways in which practices of compassion and a focus on the essential dignity of educators and students can contribute to the wellness of educators and schools. The certificate will prepare educators to lead efforts to promote compassion and dignity in schools. The certificate provides educators with supports and resources for caring for themselves and for cultivating and sustaining compassion for students, families, their school community and colleagues. The courses prioritize ways in which educators can see and feel their own daily teaching practices, struggles, constraints and joys reflected in the curriculum as well as the ways in which educators might become more compassionate teacher leaders. The compassion practices and skills embedded in the courses support district-level equity goals of creating safe and inclusive schools that challenge racism and promote justice. The certificate draws upon rigorous research, contemplative wisdom and deeply embedded lived experience of educators. The certificate was co-designed by the Crown Institute and the Compassion Institute working in collaboration with teachers, counselors and administrators.
Rethinking Inclusive and Special Education - Graduate Certificate
This certificate prepares educators to be leaders in Rethinking Inclusive and Special Education in their schools and districts by humanizing students with dis/abilities and the systems designed to support them, by gaining valuable knowledge about legal, historical and social precedents in special education, and by expanding their instructional toolkit. Educators will examine federal, state, and local policies and they will also learn practical strategies they can use to plan instruction and to support students in general education and intervention settings. Each course will draw upon culturally and linguistically appropriate practices that attend to the needs and strengths of all students, with an emphasis on creating equitable learning environments. Course content and assignments consider dis/ability to be one of multiple identities that makes each of us human, rather than a defect or problem in need of a cure. We use the term dis/ability, choosing purposefully to place a slash between dis and ability.
Designing for Learning: Inquiry-Based Pedagogy for K-12 Educators - Graduate Certificate
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings argues that instead of organizing curriculum and instruction around the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?,” we can go further in supporting young people in meaningful, culturally relevant and sustaining ways if we instead ask: “What problems do you want to solve?” This certificate focuses on how to follow Ladson-Billings’ suggestion and re-organize our pedagogies around the questions and problems that youth and their communities want to pursue. Rather than approaching teaching as a process of transmitting information and skills to youth, this certificate helps teachers position youth as people whose questions, problems, and problem-solutions are inquiry-worthy. The certificate offers coursework that introduces teachers to research and theorizing about how people learn through inquiry, how communities engage in knowledge-building and inquiry within and across subject areas, and how teachers can organize curriculum and pedagogy to create inquiry-based learning experiences with young people in schools. The certificate culminates in a capstone experience positioning teachers as pedagogical leaders who can organize and sustain professional learning among peers and colleagues through practitioner inquiry into how young people learn when given the opportunity to pursue questions and problems that they want to solve.
Teachers Leading Change - Graduate Certificate
This certificate focuses on understanding and developing leadership skills that enable teachers to engage effectively in shared leadership and proactively expand their sphere of influence in meaningful ways. A core tenet of the courses is that teachers start to or continue to see themselves as leaders, to effectively take on a leadership stance, and to do so in a way that feels authentic and builds on each teacher’s own histories and priorities for growth. The courses provide students with ideas and tools for leading change in a variety of educational spaces, including within district workshops and community networks.
Program Requirements
Teacher Leadership - Master of Arts (MA)
The MA in Teacher Leadership degree requires completion of any three teacher leadership certificates (a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved, graduate-level coursework) and a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00.
Once a student has completed three of the 10-credit online certificates that prepare them for leadership in their teaching career, they will be awarded the MA in Teacher Leadership. A comprehensive final examination is not required.
People who enroll in the MA in Teacher Leadership must currently be a practicing educator with an established education site. This program does not offer endorsements or licensure.
Graduate Certificates in Teacher Leadership
Social and Emotional Learning - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5004 | The Teacher in SEL - Powerful Personal and Professional Emotions (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5005 | SEL for Students: A Path to Social and Emotional Well-Being (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5006 | Expanding SEL (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5007 | Social and Emotional Learning Capstone (synchronous) | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
Teaching Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Students - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5000 | Introduction to History, Policy and Advocacy for CLD Educators (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5001 | Intro to Designing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5002 | Introduction to Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners (asynchronous) | 2 |
| EDUA 5003 | Teaching Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Learners: Capstone (synchronous) | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
Leading for Change in Science Assessment Practice - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5015 | Envisioning Equitable Teaching and Learning in Science | 2 |
| EDUA 5016 | Designing Meaningful and Equitable Science Assessments | 2 |
| EDUA 5017 | Leadership in Creating Equitable Assessment Systems in Science | 2 |
| EDUA 5018 | Leading in Schools and Systems for Transformation in Science Assessment: Capstone | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
Cultivating Compassion and Dignity in Ourselves and Our Schools - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5019 | Compassion and Dignity for Educators: Awareness and Intention | 2 |
| EDUA 5020 | Self-Compassion and Dignity | 2 |
| EDUA 5021 | Compassion In Fullness | 2 |
| EDUA 5022 | Compassion In Action: Capstone | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
Inclusive and Special Education - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5027 | Introduction to Inclusive and Special Education | 2 |
| EDUA 5028 | Creating and Fostering Inclusive Learning Environments | 2 |
| EDUA 5029 | Strategies for Inclusive Teaching | 2 |
| EDUA 5030 | Capstone: Leadership in Inclusive and Special Education | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
In order to earn a certificate, students must receive a minimum grade of a C or higher in each course. The cumulative GPA for certificate courses must be 3.0 or higher.
Designing for Learning: Inquiry-Based Pedagogy for K-12 Educators - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5023 | Inquiry-based Pedagogy: How Questions, Dilemmas, and Problems Matter for Learning | 2 |
| EDUA 5024 | Inquiry-Based Pedagogies: Inquiry Within and Across Different Disciplines & Communities | 2 |
| EDUA 5025 | Inquiry-Based Pedagogies: Designing & Facilitating Inquiry-Based Learning Experiences | 2 |
| EDUA 5026 | Inquiry-Based Pedagogies Capstone: Leading for Pedagogical Growth through Practitioner Inquiry | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
In order to earn a certificate, students must receive a minimum grade of a C or higher in each course. The cumulative GPA for certificate courses must be 3.0 or higher.
Teachers Leading Change - Graduate Certificate
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUA 5031 | Teacher Leadership and Learning: Professional Learning Communities in Schools and Districts | 2 |
| EDUA 5032 | Instructional Coaching in Schools and Districts | 2 |
| EDUA 5033 | Teacher Led-Networks: Teacher Leaders within Networks of Advocacy | 2 |
| EDUA 5034 : Capstone | Teachers Leading Change in Action | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 | |
In order to earn a certificate, students must receive a minimum grade of a C or higher in each course. The cumulative GPA for certificate courses must be 3.0 or higher.
Plan(s) of Study
Students must complete three of the 10-credit online certificates to be awarded the MA in Teacher Leadership. Each graduate certificate in teacher leadership requires 10 completed credits, as follows:
- Three two-credit asynchronous classes, taken in sequence. The two-credit asynchronous course sessions are self-paced and must be completed within a six-month period. These classes must be completed two weeks before beginning a synchronous capstone in the summer.
-
One four-credit synchronous class, taken in the summer. The last course for all certificates is a synchronous capstone course that brings together all the content and curriculum. This course runs as a 3-week intensive after academic school years end in May/June.
Learning Outcomes
Teacher Leadership - Master of Arts (MA)
Knowledge outcomes:
- Teachers will examine and understand the central knowledge claims within each certificate domain.
- Teachers will examine and understand the distinct instructional strategies within each certificate domain.
- Teachers will examine and understand the particular K-12 curricular content for their students’ development.
- Teachers will utilize this certificate domain knowledge in the creation of a classroom, school or community implementation plan.
Skill outcomes:
- Teachers will become acquainted with and able to convey the relevant domain’s content knowledge to students, other teachers and community members.
- Teachers will become acquainted with and able to convey the distinct instructional strategies within each certificate domain to students, other teachers and community members.
- Teachers will be able to convey the relevant K-12 curricular content to their students.
- Teachers will be able to engage other teachers and community members so as to further their understanding of and see the value of their chosen certificate domain.
Graduate Certificates in Teacher Leadership
Social and Emotional Learning - Graduate Certificate
Knowledge outcomes:
This certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Examine and reflect on the role of emotions in teaching and learning.
- Know the important distinct features and curricular approaches utilized in K-12 SEL curricula; consider alternative approaches to student well-being.
- Choose and justify the appropriate K-12 or teacher SEL programming for their setting.
Skill outcomes:
This certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Know the ways in which their emotions affect their classroom interactions and educational contexts.
- Implement an existing or develop an alternative SEL curriculum for their setting.
- Identify or develop a teacher SEL approach for their setting.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education - Graduate Certificate
This certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Recognize and understand the cultural and linguistic differences within their classroom, school and communities.
- Analyze their own classroom as a site for second language acquisition and make appropriate adjustments.
- Use knowledge of factors affecting second language acquisition to modify instruction for multilingual students.
- Capably address the linguistic and cultural differences in classrooms in ways that build on students’ linguistic and cultural diversity.
- Can assess content learning of students who are at different levels of English proficiency.
Leading for Change in Science Assessment Practice - Graduate Certificate
The certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Explain the key assumptions of the vision for equitable teaching and learning in A Framework for K-12 Science Education to teachers and other leaders.
- Identify supports needed to help teachers make shifts to teaching and assessment to address new science standards.
- Design tasks that invite students to explain phenomena and solve problems that connect to their interests, experiences and identities
Cultivating Compassion and Dignity in Ourselves and Our Schools - Graduate Certificate
The certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Consider the ways in which practices of compassion and a focus on the essential dignity of educators and students can contribute to the wellness of educators and schools.
- Explore supports and resources for caring for themselves.
- Identify and practice skills to cultivate and sustain compassion for students, families, their school community and colleagues.
- Apply compassion tools and resources to serve as compassionate leaders in school and community settings and to address the many challenges they face in today’s increasingly precarious climate.
Teachers Leading Change - Graduate Certificate
The certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Describe how to cultivate authentic professional learning communities and a school climate that builds upon the strengths and expertise of teachers as leaders.
- Identify and practice facilitation moves for purposeful coaching activities that foster teacher learning.
- Explore and implement methods to support change in teacher-led networks.
- Synthesize concepts, practices, and resources to develop a plan of action that addresses a pressing need in public education.
Inclusive and Special Education
The certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Understand the historical, political, and social influences on inclusive and special education.
- Identify the features of creative, flexible and supportive inclusive learning environments for students with and without dis/abilities.
- Use instructional strategies to include students with dis/abilities and those with a range of learning strengths and needs in curriculum and school structures.
- Synthesize knowledge on inclusive and special education to create and implement an advocacy project.
Designing for Learning: Inquiry-Based Pedagogy for K-12 Educators - Graduate Certificate
The certificate will prepare teacher leaders to:
- Apply current research exploring how people learn in order to demonstrate the importance of inquiry-based learning as a valid pedagogical strategy.
- Consider how different cultural communities—including subject areas and disciplines—engage in inquiries to build understanding and how communities can incorporate young learners into these inquiries.
- Investigate how different K-12 instructional designs orchestrate curricular and pedagogical tools to organize inquiry-based learning experiences.
- Develop and, if feasible, carry out an instructional design that organizes an inquiry-based learning experience within or across subject areas using a combination of curricular and pedagogical tools.
- Develop and, if feasible, conduct a practitioner inquiry using tools of teacher research to examine and analyze how inquiry-based pedagogies could transform your classroom, your learning community and yourself as a teacher.
- Prepare possible plans for engaging in teacher leadership to build capacity for inquiry-based pedagogies and practitioner inquiry in your school/system.