The Certificate in Education Studies in Leadership (CESL) is designed to provide K-12 school leaders and senior administrators with a repertoire of knowledge, skills and dispositions that will enable them to be effective, culturally-sensitive and context-responsive leaders within their school systems.

The design principles of CESL revolve around three core concepts:

• the use of blended strategies for leadership learning that balances online lectures and self-paced learning;
• the application of experiential learning through guided school and industry visits, and guest speakers built around problem-based learning (PBL) approaches; and
• the extensive use of Communities of Practice (COPs) through guided reflection sessions and planned encounters with Critical Friends and Mentors.

Each participant is expected to implement a Transformational Action Project (TAP) in their schools during the duration of the course. The project should incorporate the key concepts learnt during the course and its effectiveness tracked and observed.

The HEAD Foundation is pleased to partner with the following institutions in delivering the programme:

• 2023: the University of Nottingham, the Ateneo Center for Educational Development in the Philippines and Security Bank Foundation (SBFI)
• 2021: the University of Nottingham and the Ateneo Center for Educational Development in the Philippines
• 2019: the University of Queensland and the Ateneo Center for Educational Development in the Philippines
• 2018: the University of Queensland and Universitas Negiri Jakarta in Indonesia

Alumni from the 2019 and 2021 gathered on 28 October 2023 at Ateneo de Manila University to share the outcomes and achievements of their TAPs. Check out scenes from the event in the video below.