EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION QUARTERLY

Abstract

Cohorts are an innovation being employed in many educational leadership programs. To determine faculty perceptions of the advantages and liabilities of this approach, includ-ing the potential of cohorts to develop quality school leaders, a large-scale survey of edu-cational leadership program faculty was conducted. The perceptions of both cohort users and nonusers were captured, revealing sharp contrasts in how those embracing or rejecting cohorts view this innovation. Promising lines of future inquiry also are discussed. Educational leadership programs across the country are undergoing sub-stantial changes in curriculum content, instructional delivery, field place-ments, and student assessment practices (Milstein & Associates, 1993; Murphy, 1992). Growing pressure for reform has come from within the pro-fession as well as from external groups including state legislatures, licensing agencies, and professional associations (National Commission on Excel-lence in Educational Administration, 1987; National Policy Board for Edu-