Changing from Traditional Practice to a New Model for Preparing Future Leaders

Since the first Kansas State University (KSU) master's academies in 2000, the academy focus has moved from preparing candidates for principal positions to the broader vision of teacher leadership, recognizing that today's leadership relies on a team, not an individual. As leadership in schools becomes ever more challenging, requiring multiple participants, and as the need grows for leaders to bring an increasingly greater array of skills, KSU transformed school leadership preparation from the traditional model to a model based on building authentic partnerships with school districts. The result is a two-year master's program designed to produce the leadership needed in the district where the teachers are already blooming as potential leaders. This article presents a contrast between the two delivery models, from the perspective of three university professors who have delivered instruction in both.