Superintendent Executive Leadership Forum
Building district leadership with the Center for Applied Policy (CAP-Ed) at UC Davis
The SELF program at UC Davis’
Center for Applied Policy in Education (CAP-Ed) was conceived and
created to support superintendents in their efforts to transform
the central office to one whose primary focus is improvement of
teaching and learning to eliminate inequities in schooling. SELF
represents a significant shift away from “management”—a
preoccupation with organizational issues—to instructional
leadership throughout school districts as complex systems. To
accomplish this fundamental shift of focus, superintendents must
provide the framework to build a common set of values and
beliefs, while supporting school principals in effectively
leading teacher teams, and a professional ethic of teaching
that are at the core of all schools in order to provide learning
opportunities for diverse students. It is also the recognition
that schools, as organizations are central to continuous
improvement efforts. Schools are not just collections of
individuals operating according to a loosely connected and rather
fragile set of assumptions about education. They are communities
whose success depends on agreed upon norms, practices and shared
values. The philosophy driving SELF, that schools are communities
requiring a common set of values and beliefs underlying a
professional ethic of instructional leadership, infuses the SELF
program’s curriculum and structure. 230 School District
superintendents have participated in SELF since 2008,
representing approximately 20% of California school districts.
“The communication with other superintendents and presenters was highly impactful for me.” — SELF Superintendent
“Great connections made & discussions about extremely important/relevant topics.” — SELF Superintendent
SELF brings K-12 superintendents together in a small group, collaborative-networking forum providing the opportunity to engage with preeminent thinkers in discussions about critical issues of education, to reflect on the ideas presented by various scholars, to share their own experiences, and to apply what they have learned to the improvement of teaching and learning in their own districts. Each year, with continued grant support from the Stuart Foundation, SELF enrolls a new cohort and launches a series of sessions.
Program Structure and Details
Each year a cohort comprising approximately 15-20 superintendents is recruited. Selection criteria promotes the inclusion of superintendents from small and large; urban, suburban, and rural; and demographically representative districts.
Over six or seven months superintendents attend six, day-long sessions.
Guest Faculty:
- Dr. Steven Ladd; Effective Systems Leadership
- Dr. Michael Fullan; Systems Transformation
- Dr. Charles Payne; Equity and Dignity-based Education
- Dr. Meredith Honig; Central Office Transformation & Principal Leadership
- Dr. Megan Welsh; Equitable Grading
- Davis Campbell; School Board and the Governance Core
Facilitator:
Dr. Steven Ladd, CAP-ED Policy Fellow
Participating Districts 2022-2023
Black Oak Mine USD
Calistoga JUSD
Colusa USD
Esparto USD
Guadalupe Union ESD
Huntington Beach City SD
Jefferson ESD
Jefferson Union HSD
Kentfield ESD
Larkspur-Corte Madera SD
Mark West Union SD
Mountain View SD
Petaluma City Schools
Red Bluff JUHSD
Red Bluff UESD
River Delta USD
St. Helena USD
To learn more about the Superintendents’ Executive Leadership Forum (SELF) at UC Davis please contact CAP-Ed Executive Director, Dr. Christina E. Murdoch at tmurdoch@ucdavis.edu.
