Applied Leadership Certificate
Year Round, Online Leadership Development Program

The Applied Leadership Certificate is a year round, online program designed for international school leaders. What sets it apart is not content but the design: it creates the conditions where leaders make meaning together — permanent peer groups and a competency-based curriculum, powered by a two-tier Faculty.

Free Community
LinkedIn, newsletter, social media

Core Faculty
Lead cohorts, continuity & quality

Associate Faculty
Guest expertise on specialist topics

School Partners
Packages for schools to upskill leadership

THE PROGRAM MODEL

Three Interlocking Layers

More than a course — a year-round online experience where leaders learn, practice and get support at the same time.

Cohort Sessions

Nine 90-min online sessions with shared learning and a common leadership language

Community Channel

Permanent groups which stays together all year for accountability and community

Core Faculty Coaching

One-on-one support and guidance from experienced Core Faculty

WHO IS THIS FOR

Three Audiences, One Online Platform

Every stage of the leadership journey — preparing for a first role, navigating the crucial first years, or deepening practice as an experienced leader.

ASPIRING LEADERS

Teachers & coordinators ready for formal leadership
Exploring whether leadership is the right path
Building foundational skills before the role begins
Connecting with mentors and role models

NEW & TRANSITIONING

Leaders in their first or second year in a new role
Moving to a new school or country
Navigating the shift from peer to supervisor
Building credibility and culture from day one

LEADERS IN POSITION

Experienced leaders seeking fresh perspectives
Mid-career leaders managing complex change
Facing new challenges: AI, wellbeing, DEI
Wanting a peer community beyond their school

Previous Next

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Leadership development is less about delivering expertise and more about creating conditions where leaders can make meaning together.

WHY JOIN | FOR THE INDIVIDUAL LEADER

Value you can’t assemble on your own — a serious peer group, a real curriculum, and support that lasts the year.

A room of true peers
Sixteen leaders facing the same decisions you are, all year — not two days once a year.
A structured curriculum
Ten deep-dive modules across the year, so your growth is deliberate, not whatever crisis is loudest.
Judgement, not just information
The faculty have sat in the seat. You learn from experience, not a webinar.
Practical takeaways every month
You leave each session with one concrete action — and you’re asked about it next time.

A tested network you keep
The people who become your first call long after the year ends: “I’ll run it past my forum.”
Somewhere to think honestly
A confidential room for the problem you can’t raise with your own staff or board.
A pathway forward
For aspiring leaders, a credible route to the next role — guided by people already in it.
On demand access
Every masterclass recorded plus recordings of conference sessions

WHY PARTNER | FOR SCHOOLS

This compounds: you develop a leadership team, not a single person — and the effect is felt across the school.

Develop a team, not an individual
Several leaders learning together, placed across different cohorts for breadth.
A shared language of leadership
Your team returns using the same frameworks — which makes the hard conversations easier.
Retention of your best people
Visibly investing in leaders is one of the strongest signals that keeps them from leaving.
Succession and bench strength
Grow your aspiring leaders deliberately, rather than scrambling when someone resigns.

Year-round development
Sustained impact across the school year — not a conference that fades by the next week.
An external perspective
Your team tests its thinking against leaders from 20+ countries and other school models.
Value for the PD budget
One partnership covers sustained development for several leaders, plus Summit places.
Whole-team access to content
The on-demand library

THE ONLINE CURRICULUM JOURNEY

Eight Modules Across a Jan–Dec Cycle

PHASE 1: Foundations
Jan – Mar
1 Leading Self
2 Leading Others

PHASE 2: Preparation
Apr – Jun
3 Leading Teams
4 Leading Change

PHASE 3: In-Role Support
Jul – Sep
5 Leading Learning
6 Leading Culture

PHASE 4: Sustaining
Oct – Dec
7 Leading Community
8 Leading Systems

Three threads run through every module: Leadership Identity · Collective Efficacy · Improvement through Inquiry

Cohort 1 — 2027 Session Schedule

Nine online cohort sessions · 18:00 (GM+8) · 90 minutes each · Every Wednesday

PHASE 1

Foundations
1. Wed 13 Jan
2. Wed 24 Feb
3. Wed 17 Mar
PHASE 2

Preparation
4. Wed 21 Apr
5. Wed 19 May

June–July · break
PHASE 3

In-Role Support
6. Wed 25 Aug
7. Wed 22 Sep
PHASE 4

Deepening
8. Wed 20 Oct
9. Wed 17 Nov

Previous Next

Core Faculty

Dr. Benjamin Sheridan

Director of Strategic initiatives & Educational Innovation Academia Cotopaxi

Leader Combining Strategy, Innovation and Learning

407 Learning, Founder, American School Kinshasa - Elementary School Principal, Apple Professional Learning Specialist, What School Could Be - Fellow, NIST - Learning Innovation Coach, COETAIL - Instructor

Jose Ramon (Tico) Oms

Certified Executive Leadership Coach

Experienced Leader, Facilitator, Coach and Advisor

AAICS - Board Member, AIELOC - Program Facilitator, Solution Tree - Consultant, International School Basel - HS & MS School Principal, ISB Bangkok - Deputy Principal, SAS Singapore - Deputy Principal, Dell - Asia Pac Product Marketing Manager

Dr. Howard Stribbell

Chief Learning Officer, 21C Learning

Strategic Counsel to School Owners & Boards, Author & Keynote.

Canadian Overseas School Association, Founder, International School Macau - School Supervisor, Canadian International school of Phnom Penh, Board Member

Justin Hardman

CEO, 21C Learning

Professional Learning Leader. EdTech Advisor and influencer.

Hong Kong International School, Director of Technology, Apple Distinguished Educator, creator and cofounder of PHASE, ISTLC Certification (Tech Leaders), Partner with OFFSEAS (outdoor education), Partner to ISTE.

INDIVIDUAL PRICING

Joining a Cohort

12-MONTH ONLINE COHORT PROGRAM
$2,250 USD
per person / per year
Early bird: $1,950 (before Nov 30)
Alumni returning for 2nd year: $1,650
≈ $200 / month for a full year of development

WHAT’S INCLUDED

9 live online sessions led by Core Faculty (90 min)
2 core faculty per cohort to ensure low participant/facilitator ratio and high engagement
Private cohort community channel
Completion certificate: L2S Leadership Program
Discounted Lead to Succeed Summit registration
Up to 4 one-to-one private 40m coaching sessions with core faculty

SCHOOL PRICING

School Partnership Packages

EXPLORER
$3,750 USD
per year | $5,000+ value
2 cohort seat ($3,900 value)
10% off conference tickets
Savings: ~15%

CATALYST
$6,500 USD
per year | $10,000+ value
4 cohort seats ($7,800 value)
15% off conference tickets
Leadership health check call
Savings: ~25%

STRATEGIC
$11,000 USD
per year | $17,000+ value
7 cohort seats ($13,650 value)
20% off conference tickets
Leadership health check call
Quarterly strategic calls
Savings: ~30%

Questions?

Drop us an email at info@21c-learning.com.

About the Organizer

21st Century Learning (21CL) organizes top-tier conferences and events that align with its mission of “Building Communities of Learners”

Aside from Lead To Succeed Summit, our annual event portfolio includes 21CLHK Conference, GBA School Awards, International Schools Conference Asia, AI & Future of Education Conference, PHASE Asia Pacific and PHASE China (PE, Health, and Athletics), OFFSEAS (Outdoor Education), ISMAC, and InnovateEDU South Korea.

Led by educators with deep experience in Education Leadership, Professional Learning, EdTech and Progressive Pedagogy. 21CL also offers consultancy and professional learning services for schools.

Applied Leadership Certificate