The Courageous Journey™ program:

• Is the only superintendent certification endorsement program approved by Michigan law. 
• Is developed and operated by the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA)
• Runs concurrent programs for two types of school administrators:
  • Tier 1: Aspiring superintendents, who gain skills needed to transition successfully to their first superintendency
  • Tier 2: Practicing superintendents, who distinguish themselves as exemplars of professional practice in the superintendency.
• Builds leadership capacity in three targeted areas:
  • Improved student achievement
  • Operation of outstanding school districts
  • Effective leadership with staff, school boards and communities toward these missions.
• Organizes best practice around Seven Points of Learning™:
  • Leadership: Where it starts and how it grows
  • Keeping It About Teaching and Learning: If not us, then who?
  • Relationships and Communication: Connecting people, purpose and passion
  • Manage to Lead: Systems stability
  • Organizational Development: Forging a dynamic learning system
  • Data Driven Planning and Decision Making: Why we do what we do
  • Politics Everywhere…Influencing everything

For Aspiring Superintendents

An intensive two-year experience for building and central office administrators who:

• Join cohorts of 15-25 colleagues
• Meet 5 times per year for 1- or 2-day interactive sessions
• Engage with one another and the CJ resource team
• Consult individually with CJ faculty to identify and address personal leadership growth and systems change.
• Interact via secure website and blog
• Apply transformational leadership theories and processes in the school settings.
• Earn a provisional specialty superintendent endorsement
• Transition to CJ Tier-2 once hired as a district superintendent. (Optional)

For Practicing Superintendents 

An intensive three-year* experience during which participants:

• Join cohorts of 15-25 colleagues
• Meet 4 times per year for 2- or 3-day interactive sessions 
  (two meetings are in conjunction with MASA annual conferences)
• Engage with one another and with national level speakers, researchers and authors. Past presenters include:
  • Brian McNulty
  • Lance Secretan
  • Doug Roberts
  • Barbara Logan
• Consult individually with CJ faculty to identify and address a personal leadership growth opportunity
• Interact via secure website and blog
• Apply transformational leadership theories and processes in the school settings.
• Earn specialty superintendent endorsement at the continuing level AND/OR enhanced superintendent endorsement
• Transition life-long membership in a community of shared practice in district leadership.