What is a Master’s in School Leadership?
A master’s in school leadership provides the necessary credentials to lead a school or department. The overarching goal is to prepare and equip you to lead faculty and staff with confidence. Students are exposed to every aspect of education – leadership styles, evaluation procedures, ethics, how to build partnerships, human resource, business and finance, educational law, and more. The program allows students to learn the laws and procedures of education while providing opportunities to individually grow as a leader with the support of your current principal and assigned advisor through OAESA/CUC.
A master’s in school leadership opens professional doors and opportunities for your career. It gives a strong foundation to not only lead teachers and committees but also guide in fostering partnerships within the community to impact student achievement.
The purpose of the program is to provide real-life opportunities for growth and learning to prepare educators to lead a school or academic department. These opportunities will test and refine organization and communication skills. Having the support from your principal and advisor cultivates deeper professional relationships and an environment of safety to allow for celebrations of success as well as trusted feedback and criticism as you grow from an educator to an educational leader.
What You’ll Learn in a School Leadership Program
Throughout the program, you will learn skills, concepts, and strategies to effectively lead a school or department. Some of these are discussed further below, but throughout the program you will learn:
- What are the circles of communication?
- Organization. Organization!
- Colleagues are teammates.
- What leadership style is best for your team?
- How do you cultivate partnerships?
- How do you navigate hard conversations with faculty, staff, parents, and students?
There are circles of communication. Picture a bullseye or target. The center of the bullseye is who needs to know pertinent information first before sharing with the peripheral rings. Why? In one situation, a principal would want to share plans for revising a school policy with the board or superintendent before rolling that out the teachers. Here, the board is the center of the bullseye – they need to know before faculty, staff, families, students. Whereas deciding which park the second-grade class will go on their field trip would require teachers to be at the center of communication and decision making. Through the school leadership program and internship, I learned how communication varies between situations, but intentionality in dialogue is essential as students are kept at the center of all decision making.
Second, organization is vital. Between calendar invites, scheduling meetings, coordinating parent events, and completing evaluations, a leader must have an organizational system to help plan and prioritize all of the moving pieces. The school leadership program offered exposure to these scenarios and helped me refine my procedures to identify what would be the most beneficial and efficient system for me. Some of this was also offered through the next concept.
Colleagues are your teammates. Whether you’re learning how their systems may benefit you or your team or seeking advice on a particular situation at your building, colleagues challenge, affirm, promote, and teach you. These people may be other leaders in your district, teachers, or even parents. As a leader, it is imperative that a humble posture is maintained. Every leader has the capacity to grow, and those closest in your profession are your biggest cheerleaders and understand the exact challenges that are faced.
Through the school leadership program, I was able to learn from leaders at my school as well as through colleagues completing the program with me. Regardless of if the conversations were face to face or through an interactive discussion board, I realized that every school has success and challenges. Leaders need to partner with other leaders to promote student growth and support best practice.
The most beneficial aspect of the program, in my opinion, was the internship. I was able to witness and learn from current leaders in the field both at my school and other schools as well. I had regular invites to meetings and was able to observe how leadership styles impact teams. Within the school leadership program, you will learn, reflect, and discuss how the required readings are implemented in daily decisions by our school leaders.
Advantages of a School Leadership Degree
If you’re looking to advance your skills and professional opportunities, a master’s in school leadership will provide that. Pursuing licensure that aligns with career goals is the first step to opening professional doors. As an educator is promoted to new levels of leadership, their impact in and on the community grows professionally and personally. With increased experience, demands, and influence, an educator’s personal life is impacted by a raise in salary and opportunities for advancement. Professionally, the degree offers a wider net to recruit, learn, and implement best practices in education. This degree prepares leaders with a solid foundation in leadership skills and strategies while identifying and fostering partnerships within the community that will ultimately impact student growth.
Are you interested in furthering your education with a graduate degree? Explore our available programs to get started today!