MASA Courageous Journey

What is the Courageous Journey?
The Courageous Journey is two-tier voluntary professional development and credentialing program for K-12 superintendents and currently practicing administrators at both the building and central office level. It is designed and operated by the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA) to allow an opportunity for school administrators to achieve special endorsement on a basic state certificate.

What sets the Courageous Journey apart from other certification programs?
The Courageous Journey engages Michigan ’s practicing administrators in a standards- and performance-driven program designed to increase leadership impact and achieve results. The program is the first of its kind in the U.S. The closest parallel would be the National Board Certification Program for Teachers through ETS. The Courageous Journey program, however, goes beyond the National Board model in that it is designed to acknowledge exemplars of professional practice through strategic applications of best practice and demonstrated impact at the district level.

How does this program connect to the administrator certification legislation?
The provisions of the newly enacted administrator certification legislation limits the general endorsements that K-12 administrators can accomplish through graduate degree work to Elementary Principal, Secondary Principal and Central Office. The MASA endorsement falls into the category of either “specialty” or “enhanced” endorsements in the Superintendency.

What value does the Courageous Journey add?
The Courageous Journey allows school leaders to go beyond the basic certification and distinguish themselves as exemplars of professional practice in the superintendency.

Graduates of the Courageous Journey will earn a special endorsement on the basic state certification that is recognized by both the State Board of Education and MASA. During the process of completing The Courageous Journey Program, participants will also have the opportunity to accrue recognition for personal growth as well as contributions to the growth of others for the Seven Points of Learning that represent seven domains of the superintendent’s work.

What are the Seven Points of Learning?
Participants in the Courageous Journey will develop the knowledge, skills, dispositions and performance landmarks across the Seven Points of Learning critical to becoming a highly effective superintendent. These include:

Leadership:Where It Starts and How it Grows
Keeping It About Teaching and Learning:If not us, then who?
Relationships and Communication: Connecting People, Purpose and Passion
Can’t Manage?Can’t Lead!: Systems Stability
Organizational Development:Forging a Dynamic Learning System
Data Driven Planning and Decision Making:Why We Do What We Do
Politics Everywhere…Influencing Everything

Who will be eligible to earn this Courageous Journey endorsement?
The Tier 2 Program is designed for currently practicing superintendents. Through job-embedded applications of the best practices in the role of superintendent and through documented impact on their districts, participants will earn an enhanced specialty endorsement in the Superintendency. The Tier 1 Program is designed to prepare currently practicing administrators at both the building and central office levels. Successful completion of the Tier 1 Program will yield a specialty endorsement for the Superintendency at the novice level.

How does the Courageous Journey work?
The Tier 2 Courageous Journey Program is a three-year learning experience in a cohort arrangement led by a collaborative team of learning facilitators and mentors. Program participants work through critical issues, apply best-practices, access quality mentoring, participate in regular discussion forums in a secure blog-based environment, and leverage pooled expertise as members of a learning cohort dedicated to becoming exemplars of professional service in the superintendency.

The Tier 1 Program involves participants in a two year process of specific learning experiences related to the Seven Points of Learning and documentation of job-embedded applications of the knowledge, skills and dispositions related to the Landmarks within each Point of Learning.

How do I know this is a quality program?
The program is rooted in best practice and aligned to the Balanced Leadership positive correlates to student achievement, the Inter-State School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards, the Education Testing Service’s Dimensions of Superintendents’ Job Domains, the TSSA Collaborative’s Technology Standards for School Administrators and other standards of professional leadership.

So why should I join the Courageous Journey?
The Courageous Journey program offers superintendents and school administrators:

through their professional association, a chance to work together to apply the best in research-validated leadership practice while building personal credentials.
the opportunity to work closely with a cohort of peers committed to their own growth and contributing to each others’ success.
the opportunity to add to their basic credential and establish themselves as exemplars of applied best practice in the role of superintendent.
It could offer participants’ boards of education a performance review system aligned with the Points of Learning and the embedded best practices.

Who leads the Courageous Journey?
Participants work through this process as a community of learners who mentor and support one another. They share their personal expertise while learning from their colleagues and a wide range of resource people, learning experiences, and learning resources. In addition, Courageous Journey “faculty” offer individualized consultation and serve as facilitators to guide the assessment and action research processes through which participants will develop individual impact plans.

How often will I meet with my cohort?
Tier 2 cohorts meet four times per year. Two of those engagements are held in conjunction with the MASA conferences. Additional sessions take place in the spring and summer. Between sessions, cohort members continue their learning using a secure on-line website and blog created specifically for this program, and they receive individualized consultation with Courageous Journey "faculty."

The Tier 1 cohort meeting schedule is currently being developed.

I’m already involved in an administrator/leadership program. Why should I join the Courageous Journey?
Participants will be able to incorporate courseware from graduate programs and other professional development activities into their Courageous Journey plan and, in some cases, even use Courageous Journey experiences to meet requirements of advanced degree programs.

What if my job changes before I finish the Courageous Journey?
Participants can begin The Courageous Journey in one district or position and complete the program in another (including an out-of-state district).

How do I begin the Courageous Journey?
Indicate your interest by completing an Interest Form.

Questions?

Contact Patricia Reeves at preeves@gomasa.org.