LEADers - Leaders for Equity & Democracy in Education
Education·Research·Political Advocacy Groups
LEAD is UC Berkeley's three-year educational doctorate (Ed.D.) for practicing leaders such as principals, nonprofit directors, and higher education administrators who want to drive large-scale, equity-focused change in education systems. Students take core courses as a cohort of 10-12 during summers and year one, then branch into interdisciplinary electives, dissertation research, and two field visits in year two. Graduates leave prepared to pursue cabinet-level, superintendent, or mission-aligned nonprofit and policy roles.
ApplicationsAdmissions for Cohort 4 will open in September 2026
3
Program length, in years
10-12
Cohort size, in students
2
Admissions frequency, in years (every other year)
4 weeks, 4 days/week
Summer intensive schedule
20
Annual all-day weekend sessions per year (14 Saturdays and 6 Fridays)
2
Field visits per student
Events They Host
BSE Research Day - Internal Presentation
Annual April event at which LEAD students present their research internally as part of the program's milestone requirements.
LEAD Public Demonstration Class
Three-hour, in-person simulation of a day in the life of a LEADer, open to prospective applicants. Limited to 25 participants. Includes pre-work with reading and reflection sent one month before. Next session: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 9:00am-12:00pm at the Berkeley School of Education.
BSE Speaker Series
Virtual monthly presentation and discussion with Berkeley School of Education faculty and staff, exploring cutting-edge educational leadership research and emerging issues.
Systems Leadership Lab
Intensive, four-day, in-person workshop series for educational systems leaders focused on equity-centered leadership capacity. Next session: June 15-18, 2026.
Member Experiences
Field Visit: New Orleans
Four-day trip in July for second-year doctoral students exploring systemic causes of and resistance to intergenerational injustice. Included meetings with local educators, activists, public sector leaders, a guided visit of the Whitney Plantation, school and nonprofit observations, and a 'Disrupter Dinner' with local innovators.
Field Visit: Los Angeles 2024
Group field visit focused on cross-sector solutions at scale, with visits to Long Beach Unified School District, USC, CHIME Institute, UCLA's Center X, and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, among others.
Field Visit: Santiago, Chile
Faculty-led international field study trip involving observation of university offerings and local K-12 schools, seminars, and workshops on the history of schooling in Chile with Universidad Diego Portales faculty.