If you are a current classroom teacher wanting to boost your professional development and climb the ranks to a leadership position within your school district, then you may want to take the first step along this career path and earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Administration.
Educational administration, also sometimes called educational management, is the behind-the-scenes work accomplished by non-faculty professionals at elementary and secondary schools in a district. While private schools, colleges and universities also have education administrators, their job duties differ from those working in public education. Public education administrators, such as principals, vice principals, superintendents and assistant superintendents, all help to ensure teachers are able to do their jobs and are properly instructing students. They are largely responsible for the overall management of their facilities and equipment, also managing the budgets for a school or district. Among other responsibilities, they design and set the curriculum, select and evaluate standardized tests, create and enforce disciplinary measures and set achievement goals for students in a district, oversee athletic programs, and build good relationships with students, faculty, parents and the community. Many of these education administration professionals are former teachers who have worked their way to higher positions at the district level.
How Do You Get to the District Level?
A master’s degree in administration can sharpen your leadership skills, as well as your organizational and managerial skills, and provide you with accurate instruction and support to help you meet and successfully carry out the various responsibilities required as an administrator. A rigorous educational administration program can provide you with the latest trends, facts and statistics, and information you would need to make a successful transition from the classroom to the district level.
Why Do You Need an M.Ed. in Administration Degree?
A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for a career in education administration. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most public school assistant principals, principals and district administrators are required to hold a master’s degree in educational administration or educational leadership. Many school systems also require that you have a certain amount of prior teaching experience.
What Are Some Typical Courses?
A curriculum leading to an M.Ed. in Administration emphasizes school administration/personnel supervision and organization; effective leadership strategies; public policy and law; ethics; curriculum planning and development; multicultural topics; research techniques; and federal, state, and local school regulations. You may be required to participate in an internship in one or more aspects of administration. Internships can last anywhere from several weeks to a full year depending on the program.
What Is the Job Outlook?
The job prospects for education administrators are deemed to be excellent thanks to expected retirements and increases in enrollment. Employment of elementary, middle and high school principals is projected to grow six percent by 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median annual wage for elementary, middle and high school principals was $87,760 in May of 2012, the Bureau said.
Employment of postsecondary education administrators is projected to grow 15 percent by 2022, as college and university enrollments increase and more postsecondary administrators are needed to serve the needs of these additional students. In May of 2012, the median annual wage for postsecondary education administrators was $86,490. The median salary in colleges, universities and professional schools, the industry that employed the most postsecondary education administrators, was $89,200. The median annual wage in junior colleges, the second largest industry, was $82,070.
Although some education administration positions do not require postgraduate degrees, advanced degrees are highly valued, and earning a master’s degree in administration would help you climb faster up school district ranks or to a leadership role in postsecondary education.
Learn more about Lamar University’s online M.Ed. in Administration program.
Sources:
www.higheredjobs.com/articles/default.cfm?key=how+do+teachers+get+to+next+level
http://chronicle.com/section/Home
www.bls.gov/ooh/management/postsecondary-education-administrators.htm#tab-6
