Program Designed to Prepare Future Education Leaders Family members, friends, and co-workers cheered inside the Mather Room at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) headquarters on June 25, 2011, as the 28 members of the first graduating class of the SCOE Leadership Institute proudly accepted their credentials.  Each participant received a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, which allows them to apply for and be competitive for site administrator, vice-principal, and district positions that require an administrative credential. The Preliminary Administrative Services Credential is authorized by the State of California, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The Sacramento region faces a serious shortage of trained and talented school leaders. A study by WestEd found that by 2017, because of retirements and other factors, Sacramento County will need nearly 300 new school site administrators while the Sacramento region will need close to 500. For that reason, SCOE established the Leadership Institute in order to prepare and support education leaders in the Sacramento County region. "I cannot emphasize enough how valuable the training is that you have received through the SCOE Leadership Institute," Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon told the graduates. "As educational leaders you must shape, cultivate and demonstrate a culture that motivates greatness." Along with Superintendent Gordon, Deputy Superintendent Sue Stickel and Sacramento County Board of Education Trustees Jackie Levy, Elinor Brown, and Greg Geeting took part in the ceremony, helping to honor the graduates. SCOE’s Leadership Institute is a ten-month program which focuses on aspiring administrators to fill the expected need for highly qualified and trained administrators. In addition to aspiring administrators, the Institute is designed to help train newly appointed administrators with one or two years of experience, continuing admi...