The certificate is for practitioners with a bachelor's degree at minimum who want to become agents of change in their districts, schools, or classrooms, or community-based organizations. Classes are taught by faculty from ESR and Lesley, who are experts in conflict resolution, diversity education, and curriculum and instruction. These courses are offered twice a year, beginning at residencies starting in February and July. The remaining 6 credits are determined in collaboration with the student's advisor.
Students have the option to do an Internship.
The Advanced Professional Certificate Program in Reading is a fifteen credit program intended for individuals who completed consulting teacher of reading programs here or elsewhere five or more years ago. It is also designed for teachers who have been out of the job market and are seeking updating in order to reenter the teaching profession and for teachers who were trained in other fields such as special education and who need more focused work in literacy. The Advanced Professional Certificates in Special Education are designed for experienced special education teachers who want to refresh or update their knowledge in the field without taking a full degree program. In 1991, Lesley became a university center for the training of Reading Recovery teacher leaders and teachers and now coordinates the program in the region. Reading Recovery, an early intervention program designed to eliminate reading failure, which was developed and researched in New Zealand, has been instituted in an intensive research and teacher training model by Ohio State University.