Legislative Advocacy for High Quality Leadership Preparation: Perspectives and Implications for Teaching and Learning Educational Leadership

Abstract

This article interrogates the value of leadership preparation programs connecting academic and political spheres as endorsed in the 2008 revised ISLLC Standards. Specifically, a number of exemplar teaching and learning practices are shared that led to the planning and implementation of legislative advocacy projects for educational leadership professors and students in Washington, DC. Major findings include that although many educators are not adequately prepared nor encouraged to participate in policy making at the state or national levels, purposeful efforts to engage educators in legislative advocacy projects results in positive outcomes for professors, students, and policymakers alike.