Picture two schools with the same demographics—rural middle schools, for example, that serve equally high-need populations. Both use the same state-mandated curriculum taught by certified teachers. Why is one school thriving while the other is struggling? “The principal,” says Allen Grossman, retired MBA Class of 1957 Professor of Management Practice. “Great schools have great leaders. If you have an ineffective leader, the school will not succeed.”

How do you help principals become great leaders? That question inspired a collaboration between HBS and the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Spearheaded by Grossman and Mary Grassa O’Neill, a senior lecturer at HGSE, the Certificate in School Management and Leadership is designed to give principals the tools to build and lead high-performing schools. The program combines HBS’s expertise in managing teams and organizations with HGSE’s strength in school and instructional leadership.

Research shows a high need for this type of training. “There are about 200,000 principals and assistant principals in the United States, and half of them have little or no access to good professional development,” explains Monique Burns Thompson, an HBS senior lecturer who took the program reins from Grossman when he retired in June. “Even when they do, their budgets are limited. This program gives principals an accessible and affordable tool kit.”

The certificate comprises four courses. Leading Change and Leading Schools are available now, with two more in development. Courses are delivered via HBS Online so principals can log on when it’s convenient for them.

The program is spurring a professional community across the country. “Being a principal can be a lonely job,” explains Grossman. “You’re the only one at your school and frequently don’t have peers to bounce ideas off of.” Thompson adds, “Participants have found colleagues who intimately understand their work and whose opinions they value.”

To date, over 2,100 people have completed the first course to rave reviews. “It pushed me to really think about my practices and how to engage my staff,” says one principal from the Chicago Public Schools. “I had . . . many aha moments . . . [that] gave me great ideas on how to make improvements or better choices next time.”

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