As a continuum of professional learning for building and district leaders transitioning from leadership preparation programs into practice, the state of Kansas enacted mentoring and induction requirements as part of their role in supporting development of leadership skills important to on-the-job application of essential knowledge. One approved…

This article discusses leaders who make a difference, especially in school districts where a single superintendent impacts the lives of so many children, teachers, staff, and community members every day. There is a need to mentor the ongoing professional learning and development of key leaders. The authors report on a process in Kansas, USA, which…

Strong leadership has a tremendous impact on organizations. This special edition of "Educational Considerations" highlights the journey of the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI), from inception to implementation. All of the authors in this special themed edition of "Educational Considerations" describe the various…

We have two aims here. Our first is to articulate what gains may be made by students who engage in our course to determine what exactly is gained by students who participate in such experiences. We believe such courses have educational value, but needed to find a way to articulate our course's success in helping students meet our stated learning…

The mission of the Army Management Staff College (AMSC) is to provide leader development educational experiences for Army civilians. To develop as leaders, students must recognize they have a choice to take action that influences their work environment. The authors suggest the learning environment at AMSC is intentionally designed to be…

This article is a follow-up to Mary Devin's report on the collaborative efforts required to create the "Kansas Educational Leadership Institute" in 2010. The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI) moved from planning to implementation on March 30, 2011, as a statewide systematic support system for the recruitment, development,…

This application brief describes the exploratory assessment of a mentoring program between current students and alumni of a leadership studies minor program. We connect leadership education research and practice in two ways: first, we describe a process of qualitative program evaluation to inform program best practices and improvement. In doing…

The experience and reflection of participants of the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI) program are the focus of this article. Many Kansas superintendents face the challenge of working hundreds of miles from colleagues who wear similar hats and work in comparable roles. Often the closest professional mentors or peers live hours away,…

The move toward teacher leadership is one answer to the dilemma of school leadership. The task of school leadership has become too complex and demanding for one person. Nurturing teacher leaders helps districts strengthen school leadership, aids in teacher retention, and sustains school reform. This need for more teacher involvement in leadership…

This article examines specific uses of video simulations in one educational leadership preparation program to advance future school and district leaders' skills related to public speaking and participation in televised news interviews. One faculty member and two advanced educational leadership candidates share their perspectives of several…

As the world has changed over the last century, so has the world of work. Today's knowledge workers have fewer individual repetitive tasks, more autonomy, and more need to work with and through people at every level of an organization (Overtoom, 2000). As a result of the 'flattening' of the organizational hierarchy, it is critical that…

In Kansas, local and state adult education leaders realized that leadership standards cannot be ignored if adult education is to be perceived as a professional discipline within the state's larger educational community. The perfect opportunity to study and develop leadership standards for adult education directors and coordinators presented itself…

Leadership is a social process that brings together the interests of multiple stakeholders for mutual benefit toward the common good (Burns, 1978; Rost, 1993). In an effort to engage individuals to understand the complexities of the leadership and public policy making processes the authors developed a simulation-debate exercise designed to target…

Years of youth development research have yielded consensus by researchers, practitioners, and government representatives regarding what young people need for healthy development. Both environmental and social factors are now seen as critical elements for youth development programs. Addressing these factors creates a foundation for the development…