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About the Principal Leadership Institute

UCLA Principal Leadership Institute Students

UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute program (PLI) prepares educators to be social justice leaders in Los Angeles schools who:

  • Advocate for quality learning opportunities;
  • Improve teaching and learning;
  • Promote educational achievement for all students;
  • Create democratic and culturally-responsive learning environments;
  • Build partnerships with parents and community groups.

program grants

Completion of the program provides:

  • Master of Education degree
  • California Tier 1 Administrative Credential

application deadline

Cohort 25 Application deadline:
MARCH 1, 2024

scholarships awarded

Based on need

profile of cohort 24

Applicants Accepted: 23
Enrolled: 23
Age Range: 27 – 58

communities served

2023-2024 COHORTS 1-23

High Poverty: 87%
Low Poverty: 13%

diversity

Ethnicity of Students – 2023-2024 COHORT 24

Gender of Students
Female: 65%   Male: 35%

Ethnicity of Faculty – 2023-2024 COHORT 24

Gender of Faculty
Female: 60%   Male: 40%

alumni leadership roles '23 - '24

DATA FOR COHORTS 1-23 (848 alumni)

District level roles 15%
Principals 16%
Assistant Principals 14%
Full-time K-12 Classroom teachers 17%
Other school-based educational leaders 15%
Higher Education  4%
Other educational roles outside of K-12 4%
Leave Education/Taking Time Off  6%
Retired 5%
Unknown 4%

Leading for Justice

Applying for the 2025-26 academic year?

The application will be available from mid-September, 2024 through February 1, 2025.

Participating in UCLA Principal’s Leadership Institute provided me the opportunity to understand that most of the challenges we face in education are structural rather than instructional. The UCLA Professors pulled back a veil obscuring inequity hidden within the blueprints of the school system and with each class provided a new set of tools to rework the structure in collaboration with parents, students, and teachers. After graduation, their coaching network continues to support me personally and professionally as I advocate to change the rules for our students and community. Thank you PLI!”

Eilene Vasquez