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 Principal Leadership Institute utilizes the Reciprocal Learning Partnership Equity Framework.
The UCLA Principal Leadership Institute recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary, along with the Principal Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley.
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
I had always been a social justice advocate in my heart, but PLI empowered me with the knowledge and confidence I needed to rise up as a leader in the fight for educational equity. PLI also introduced me to a powerful network of like-minded, visionary educators who are also seeking to create enduring and positive change in urban schools. Together, I believe we can begin to truly and fundamentally disrupt the systems that perpetuate educational inequity in Los Angeles.

Rene Quon
Executive Administrator of Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter School
My experience in PLI was transformational. In spite of over 15 years of teaching for social justice, it was not until the experience of working intimately with talented colleagues under the inspiring tutelage of instructors in this program that I felt I truly discovered my role and purpose.

Daryl Brook
Principal, New Los Angeles Charter