People sometimes assume that administrators in educational leadership are teachers who worked their way up the ranks. While this is sometimes true, other options are available to aspiring administrators, such as earning an online master’s degree in education to gain valuable insight into the skills and strategies of educational leadership. As leaders in the educational community, principals should not only focus on providing tools to help teachers; they should also maintain their own professional development to keep current with best practices.
The Scholars’ Silence
Articles abound on professional development initiatives for teachers and staff. However, on the topic of development for educational leaders, scholars are nearly silent. Some material addresses teacher attitudes toward professional development as well as how to implement professional development for teachers, but there is not much information focusing on educational leadership itself. How do principals and other administrators develop their professional skills over the courses of their careers?
What Is Available?
In some regards, teachers seeking professional development have it easier than administrators: developmental directors provide teachers with the information and time they need — many sources provide administrators with resources on mentoring and guiding the professional development of their teachers. The Department of Education also awards grants for professional development of teachers.
Why It Matters
If teachers receive up-to-date training from administrators, then why is professional development for educational leadership even necessary? The answer is student success. As Arianna Prothero reports for Education Week, “Research has consistently shown that after teachers, principals have the most impact on student achievement when it comes to in-school factors.” Prothero goes on to cite a 2013 study by the National Center for Education Statistics that found “principals who didn’t get professional development the previous year were 1.4 times more likely to leave their school than leaders who did receive training.” If administrators in educational leadership feel out of sync with best practices, they are more likely to leave, creating turnover in a position that earns trust only over time.
This scenario contributes to a statistic gathered by the Education Leaders Network: Half of all principals leave within the third year of service at a school. Given that “it takes an average of five years to put a mobilizing vision in place, improve the teaching staff and fully implement policies and practices that positively impact the school’s performance,” the connection between principal turnover and stagnating schools becomes clear. In fact, the Education Leaders Network finds that “As a result of principal churn, students achieve less in both math and reading during the first year after leader turnover.” For already struggling schools, this impact could be more severe.
Extending the Learning
An online master’s degree in education program can provide resources and training for professional development, even well after graduation. As part of a learning community, future administrators collaborate with other students in the program, creating valuable professional networks. Students can become active in professional organizations and study current scholarship as part of important disciplinary conversations about educational leadership.
Learn more about the Lamar University online M.Ed. Administration program.
Sources:
Education Week — For Principals, Continuous Learning Critical to Career Success
School Leaders Network – CHURN: The High Cost of Principal Turnover
