Felix Quinonez, PLI Cohort 6, was honored with a Los Angeles Unified Teacher of the Year award.

The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) trains and supports a diverse group of individuals committed to the principles of academic excellence, equity, and integrity as a way to maximize achievement and opportunity for students in urban schools. The Principal Leadership Institute at UCLA has designed a rigorous 14-month program aligned with the California Administrative Professional Expectations (CAPEs) that will prepare the next generation of urban school leaders. The program grants a Master’s degree and completion of the courses required for the California Tier 1 Administrative Credential. The program is designed to attract outstanding educators who have administrative interests and recognized potential. The PLI utilizes the Reciprocal Learning Partnership Equity Framework.
PLI Cohort 19 Collective Statement
As leaders committed to social justice education, our work is sustained by an unyielding oppositional consciousness.
We believe it is essential to rethink, redefine, and diagnose.
We believe all people must be acknowledged and respected for who they are and the assets they bring.
We believe that fostering relationships is the foundation for eliminating inequities and marginalization.
We share power with community stakeholders and guide participation to build expertise.
We challenge deficit ideologies and cultivate a sense of belonging by validating, affirming, building and bridging students’ identities.
We engage in dialogue instead of debate, build capacity instead of continuing the bureaucratic status quo, and encourage questioning instead of demanding compliance.
Rather than acting as speaking police, we facilitate community discussions to unearth the root causes of bigotry.
To enact this vision, we need like-minded allies who value the social, cultural, and linguistic assets that every student brings.
We need liberation from bureaucracy and racist accountability policies that maintain the conditions of marginalization.
We need financial, school, and community resources to build the tools and structures needed to promote meaningful participation.
We need social-emotional support to care for ourselves and provide a holistic healing environment for our school communities.
We will be willing to take risks and advocate for students and families even when it is difficult.
We will be compassionate, powerful, and fearless activists.
We will lead by example with positive energy, humor, and love.
UCLA Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) in the News
National Survey of HS Principals Finds Strong Response to COVID-19, Pervasive Inequity
PLI Professor John Rogers’ report revealed new findings on schools’ and communities’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inequality that the pandemic has all too starkly exposed.
Daniel G. Solórzano Elected to the National Academy of Education
PLI Professor Daniel G. Solórzano was recognized for his lifelong work in critical race theory and racial microaggressions.
Fourteen Faculty from UCLA Selected to Annual List of Publicly Influential Scholars
The annual list published in Education Week highlights UCLA PLI faculty among national experts on the most urgent issues in education.
Professor Stuart Biegel: 1945-2019
PLI Professor Stuart Biegel taught the first official course on technology law at UCLA and championed equal access for underserved LGBT and disabled populations.
UCLA IDEA: Survey Finds Schools Challenged by Political Incivility, Racial Tensions
Findings by PLI Professor John Rogers and UCLA IDEA reveal efforts by principals to stem the tide of xenophobia and racism.
Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) Alumni
PLI established a framework of empowerment to help me become a true agent of change in the community I serve. I firmly believe that the arsenal of progressive educational theory, execution of thoughtful practice, consistent reflection, and continued support from the PLI team has developed my skills to truly become a transformative leader.

Tommy Welch
Interim Academic Superintendent of Alternative Schools in Boston Public Schools
My experience in the UCLA PLI program helped establish the foundation by which I serve as a social justice leader in urban public schools and communities. Unlike other traditional administrative programs, the PLI faculty and staff helped me transform my philosophies of education by sharing tools and insights that would allow me to evolve into a democratic leader whose goals are to establish school reform by creating collaborative opportunities for all stakeholders within the learning community.

Qiana O’Leary
Principal of Environmental Charter Middle School