A Brief History of the Educational Leadership Major
Competent administrators are vital to the success of an academic establishment. An education in educational leadership prepares you for various leadership and administrative positions in the school environment. Students who decide to pursue an online educational leadership degree will acquire the skills needed to set high academic standards. They display leadership skills and inspire others to achieve, serve, and work better. Educational leaders also partner with business and community members to further common educational goals.
As a graduate of this online educational leadership degree program, you will have developed the understanding that is needed for impacting educational setting and the lives of students through integrating various educational theories and practices. An educational leadership degree can help you become a teaching instructor, curriculum instructor, or administrator.
Delving Into the Educational Leadership Major
Advanced degrees in educational leadership or higher education administration may be required for a job as a school principal, assistant principal, or school district administrator. The curriculum usually begins with a basic overview of the field and gradually progresses to more specific courses.
While the course content in this field will vary based upon institution and region, topics and reading material often include school leadership, school law, school finance and budgeting, curriculum development and evaluation, research design and data analysis, community relations, politics in education, and counseling, such as outlined in the degree plan for Stony Brook University students. Computer literacy and a background in accounting or statistics may be assets in admissions, records, and financial work.
Degree Levels:
Associate
Most educational leaders started their careers as teachers and advanced into leadership roles by completing a master’s or doctoral degree. Because a graduate degree is the minimum requirement for consideration, most students at this level are working their way up the ladder.
The associate degree level will focus on foundational knowledge and the coursework will reflect this goal. The curriculum will vary based upon institution and region, but the course content at this level will typically revolved around arts, math, humanities, social sciences, and introductory classes.
Bachelor’s
The focus of the doctorate program is to build competent and effective leaders who will model high academic standards in the field of education. Coursework may include conflict resolution, financial issues in schools, development of organizational leadership, school law. They are also introduced to concepts on educating a diverse group of learners.
Master’s
The goal of the master’s curriculum is to give students an opportunity to shape the future of academia. Course content will focus on skills, knowledge, and experience that propel students and teachers to greater achievement, including licensure as principal or assistant principal.
The curriculum will reflect the standard of education at the institution where students choose to obtain their degree. These may include classes that largely define what education leaders must know in order to be successful professionals. Some programs may focus on the needs of the elementary and secondary classroom teachers who want to grow professionally, work on certificate renewal, and improve the curriculum and instruction in their own classrooms.
Doctorate
The Doctor of Education degree prepares students for an academic study of challenges associated with the academic environment. The doctorate coursework explores topics such as personnel management, curriculum development, financial management, planning and leadership. The curriculum will vary from school to school. Some programs will focus more on administration, while others pay special attention to teaching.
Students who graduate with a doctorate degree in educational leadership will position themselves for employment in various academic capacities. Doctorate degree holders in this field can gain employment in administration, research, or teaching, among others.
Supplementing Your Educational Leadership Major
The challenges of working as a professional educational leader can be intimidating. It usually takes creativity to resolve many of the issues in the academic environment. Educational leaders are not only faced with the odds and ends of organizational work, they may also find themselves having to deal with abused children, mental issues among teachers, or budgeting crisis and other issues that force the administrator to make decisions about important programs. With this in mind, students who want to supplement their degree should consider minors in developmental psychology, cultural anthropology and sociology.
Supervisors will make a hiring decision based upon specific leadership attributes, including: determination, confidence, innovation, and motivation. Educational leaders must demonstrate the ability to make sound decisions and to organize and coordinate work efficiently. An online education in educational leadership has many career benefits. Aside from the leadership qualities learned, students are well prepared to demonstrate knowledge and usefulness of 21st century technology. This responsibility requires schools to prepare students for technological, cultural, economic, informational, and demographic changes.
Educational leadership majors will learn to make keen decisions and solve problems in a collaborative environment. Some of these may include conflict resolution and ethical decisions. The ability to tackle such issues ensures desirability in the job market. Familiarity with technology, coupled with leadership and organizational skills, are all positive traits in this field. Knowing how to use technology to gather, analyze, and utilize school data is essential. Leaders must also be able to exhibit the positive interpersonal relationships that value different cultures, languages, and backgrounds.
Learn More About the Educational Leadership Major
- Princeton Review’s Overview of Educational Leadership and Administration
- Open CourseWare: Building and Leading Effective Teams
- Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership
The Educational Leadership Major in the Job Market
Future educators and educational leaders are charged with the responsibility of equipping students with the knowledge and tools students need to be successful in a complex, interconnected world. Educational leadership graduates can get jobs as school principals, assistant principals, and regional administrator.
The job outlook for education administrators remains bright and promising. Other career pathways are in counseling, student affairs, continuing education, business, arts, sciences, among others. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of education administrators and leaders will grow by about eight percent between 2008 and 2018. The BLS projects that the number of students at post-secondary level will grow more rapidly than other student populations. This figure is much higher for administrators on the collegiate level.
Salary will depend on a variety of factors, including region, institution, experience, and level of education. According to the BLS, post-secondary school administrators earned a median annual wage of $80,670 in 2008. Senior high school principals earned an average of $97,486 in 2008, middle school principals earned $91,334, and elementary school principals earned $85,907. Earnings are much higher at the collegiate level. Chief academic officers earned an average of $158,000, while the salary for academic deans ranged between $92,000 and $150,000.
Educational administrators and leaders enjoy many benefits. Many get up to four or five weeks of vacation every year and have access to top-notch health and pension packages. Some institutions offer free tuition to families of their employees.
