Program Vision

We improve temporal and spiritual well-being through education and educational leadership.

Program Mission

We expand education vision and empower educational leaders to improve practices, policies, and systems that create high-quality and equitable learning environments, by: 

  • Developing students' knowledge, skills, and dispositions in a faith-based, intellectually rigorous, and inspiring learning environment.
  • Collaborating with and supporting current educational leaders.
  • Producing high-quality scholarship by study and by faith.

Program Aims and Goals

The School Leadership Program accomplishes its vision and mission through four program aims and goals:

Provide a Graduate Program of Excellence

  • Align with the aims of a BYU Education and Principles of BYU Graduate Education
  • Maintain its accreditation as a graduate program of educational leadership
  • Contribute to and reflect the field of school leadership

Prepare Effective School Leaders

  • Improve student recruitment
  • Facilitate achievement of student learning outcomes
  • Facilitate field-based internship experiences aligned with national standards 
  • Facilitate administrative licensure and administrative placements of graduates

Promote Responsive District Relationships

  • Develop strategic district partnerships
  • Facilitate responsiveness in program design to meet district and student needs

Pursue Dynamic Stability

  • Engage in continuous program assessment and improvement
  • Engage in continuous student learning assessment and improvement

Student Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes for the School Leadership Program are aligned with CAEP (accrediting agency) and grounded in the national standards in the field of School Leadership (UELS & PCEL). As a result, students will be prepared to pass the state-required Administrative PRAXIS examination, which is also a requirement for graduation.

Learning Outcomes

To foster a vision and a compelling sense of purpose for the continuous improvement of both schools and equitable learning for all students, our graduates will be able to:

  1. Professional Knowledge: Understand and apply the disciplinary knowledge in the graduate program coursework to the practice of school leadership.
  2. Learning Communities: Engage in, facilitate and lead collaborative learning communities.
  3. Strategic Decision-Making & Change: Engage in, facilitate and lead strategic inquiry, data driven decision-making.
  4. Effective and Caring Leadership Informed by Learning Communities (2) and Strategic Decision-Making (3), be equipped with sufficient knowledge to be able to undertake important roles and responsibilities in the schools they plan to lead.

CAEP Accreditation Standards

  1. Content and Pedagogical Knowledge: The provider ensures that candidates for professional specialties develop a deep understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their field of preparation and, but completion, are able to use professional specialty practices flexibly to advance the learning of all P-12 students toward attainment of college- and career-readiness standards. 
  2. Clinical Partnerships and Practice: The provider ensures that effective partnerships and high-quality clinical practice are central to preparation so that candidates develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions appropriate for their professional specialty field.
  3. Candidate Quality and Selectivity: The provider demonstrates that quality of advanced program candidates is a continuing and purposeful part of its responsibility so that completers are prepared to perform effectively and can be recommended for certification where applicable.
  4. Program Impact: The provider documents the satisfaction of its completers from advanced preparation programs and their employers with the relevance and effectiveness of their preparation.
  5. Provider Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement: The provider maintains a quality assurance system comprised of valid data from multiple measures, including evidence of candidates' and completers' positive impact on P-12 student learning and development. The provider supports continuous improvement that is sustained and evidence-based, and that evaluates the effectiveness of its completers. The provider uses the results of inquiry and data collection to establish priorities, enhance program elements and capacity, and test innovations to improve completers' impact on P-12 learning and development.

For more details on the CAEP Accreditation Standards, click here.

Utah State Standards for Educational Leadership/UELS

  1. Visionary Leadership: Effective educational leaders facilitate the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a shared vision that promotes each student's academic success and well-being.
  2. Teaching and Learning: Effective educational leaders support teaching and learning by facilitating coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  3. Management for Learning: Effective educational leaders manage school operations and resources to promote the success and well-being of faculty, staff, and students.
  4. Community Engagement: Effective educational leaders engage families and the community in order to create an inclusive, caring, safe, and supportive school environment to promote each student's academic success and well-bing.
  5. Ethical Leadership: Effective educational leaders act ethically and professionally to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  6. School Improvement: Effective educational leaders act as agents of continuous improvement and foster a professional community of teachers and staff to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  7. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness: Effective educational leaders honor the heritage and background of each student, use culturally responsive practices, and strive for cultural competency and equity of educational opportunity to promote each student's academic success and well-being.

For more details on the UELS, click here.

Professional Standards for Educational Leaders/PSEL

  1. Mission, Vision, and Core Values: Effective Educational leaders develop, advocate, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education and academic success and well-being of each student.
  2. Ethics and Professional Norms: Effective educational leaders act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  3. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness: Effective educational leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  4. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Effective educational leaders develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student's academic success and well-bing.
  5. Community of Care and Support for Students: Effective educational leaders cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student.
  6. Professional Capacity of school Personnel: Effective educational leaders develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student's academic success and well-being. 
  7. Professional Community for Teachers and Staff: Effective educational leaders foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  8. Meaningful Engagement of Families and Community: Effective educational leaders engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  9. Operations and Management: Effective educational leaders manage school operations and resources to promote each student's academic success and well-being.
  10. School Improvement: Effective educational leaders act as agents of continuous improvement to promote each student's academic success and well being.

For more information regarding the PSEL's, click here.