462 Journal of School Leadership Volume 22—May 2012 FREDERICK BUSKEY JOSEPH A. POLIZZI A Tale of Two Educational Leadership Program Redesigns: How Policy Influences Process ABSTRACT: This article examines the redesign of two educational leadership programs at different institutions: a medium-sized public university and a small private university. Both were committed to principals of ethical leadership. Each program faced a state mandate to redesign. In one case, state policy focused on detailed accountability measures based on syllabi alignment to standards and a complex paper trail of documentation required for final approval. In the other case, accountability focused on a final portfolio, and programs were encouraged to be innovative. Policy differences combined with situational context to create two different approaches to the redesign work. It฀was฀the฀best฀of฀times,฀it฀was฀the฀worst฀of฀times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. —Dickens,฀A Tale of Two Cities฀(1859) This instrumental case study compares and contrasts the redesign of two educational leadership programs at two universities. The universities share a common commitment to principles of ethical leadership, social jus- tice, and servant leadership. The universities’ principal licensure programs exist in different internal and external contexts, and their redesigns were influenced by different sets of state-level policy mandates. We provide a brief overview of current criticisms that have stimulated mandates for Address correspondence to Frederick Buskey, 250 Killian, Cullowhee, NC 28723. E-mail: fbuskey@email.wcu.edu.