WKU News

The College of Education & Behavioral Sciences at WKU has been awarded $1,323,733 to support K-12 principal apprenticeship through Project ELEVATE (Educational Leadership Experience and Visionary Apprenticeship for Transformative Excellence). Led by Dr. Margie DeSander and Mr. Rob Akers, this initiative marks the first registered principal apprenticeship in Kentucky.

Dr. Margie DeSander, Director of Project ELEVATE and Chair of the School of Leadership and Professional Studies at Western Kentucky University, said, “This is an exciting moment for the faculty and district partners of the WKU principal preparation program.  This group of educational professionals are consistently making a positive impact locally, across Kentucky, and nationally by elevating the practice of preparing competent, profession-ready school principals. Developing pathways to the principalship with programming focused on experiential learning through an apprenticeship model allows for emphasizing equity-in-context.   This grant provides the funding to help encourage non-traditional candidates to explore school leadership in a pre-apprenticeship program and as a pathway to the principalship in an apprenticeship model by reducing the financial barriers associated with balancing family, work and school.” 

Project ELEVATE will leverage the use of Registered Apprenticeships, providing high-quality training opportunities for aspiring school leaders statewide, particularly those from underrepresented populations and underserved communities.

Project ELEVATE’s innovative format allows participants to earn the required degree credit hours and principal certification through the Level Up Leadership Academy (LULA), related instruction coursework, and mastery of competencies/work processes during on-the-job experiential learning.

Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Corinne Murphy, explained, “This project provides the opportunity to establish a framework of program delivery that builds on the outcomes of our most recent $6 million Wallace Research Foundation work including co-teaching, co-curricular alignment, and in-context project-based learning. School district leaders and university faculty will again partner to leverage all available aspects of community context to establish a live, learn, and lead model of principal preparation across multiple school districts. Given our Commonwealth's current teacher and leader shortage, the timing for this award is critical to the needs of our schools.”

Project ELEVATE was funded through the Apprenticeship Building America program, the Department of Labor’s larger effort to modernize, diversify, and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system across growing U.S. industries. Over $244 million has been awarded through programs aimed at expanding Registered Apprenticeships in in-demand fields, including K-12 education. Nationwide there are over 20,000 openings for school principals per year. K-12 Principal is a High Demand, High Wage occupation in Kentucky.

According to Rob Akers, Co-Director of Project ELEVATE, "Receiving this grant is proof positive the WKU Educational Administration faculty continue to move the needle in the preparation of educational leaders. This grant will enable us to provide funding to districts to develop their benches of future leaders. It is exciting to be on the cutting edge of this work and to be doing it at WKU."

The WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences offers an online Master of Arts in Education (MAE) program in Instructional Leadership, School Principal. This 30-hour program is designed to prepare aspiring education administrators for rewarding careers in educational leadership. Graduates are eligible for Level 1, KP1 principal certification and can achieve either Rank 2 or Rank 1 status. The program focuses on enhancing skills in teaching, public speaking, curriculum development, leadership, and staff management, providing a comprehensive pathway to becoming an effective school principal.

Additional details on the Apprenticeship Building America program can be found in the U.S. Department of Labor’s News Release. For more information about Western Kentucky University’s Principal Preparation program, contact WKU’s School of Leadership and Professional Studies.