PLI Program
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
PLI program grants
Completion of the program provides:
- Master of Education degree
- California Tier 1 Administrative Credential
application deadline
Cohort 27 Application deadline:
February 27, 2026
scholarships awarded
Based on need
profile of cohort 26
Applicants Accepted: 16
Age Range: 32 – 55
communities served
2025-2026 COHORTS 1-25
High Poverty: 88%
Low Poverty: 12%
alumni leadership roles
DATA FOR COHORTS 1-25
District level roles 15%
Principals 15%
Assistant Principals 11%
Full-time K-12 Classroom teachers 20%
Other school-based educational leaders 15%
Higher Education 3%
Other educational roles outside of K-12 4%
Leave Education/Taking Time Off 7%
Retired 5%
Unknown 4%
diversity
Students Ethnicity Percentage – 2025-2026 COHORT 26
Gender of Students
Female: 62% Male: 38%
Faculty Ethnicity Percentage – 2025-2026
Gender of Faculty
Female: 64% Male: 36%
“My time at PLI was foundational to my growth as a social justice educator. I found the readings and projects in PLI to be so relevant and grounded in real praxis. It gave me the language to name the types of inequities that I was seeing in schools, and the rationale to keep pushing for justice. Being a part of PLI’s cohort model was important because public schools can be such isolating spaces, especially for educational leaders. Having a cohort of like minded comrades pushed my practice and gave me shoulders to lean on when the work got tough. Here I am more than a decade later and really in awe with the fact that I am part of a family of hundreds of social justice educators emanating out of Moore Hall at UCLA!”
– John Lynch
