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Home > Teaching Specialties > Educational Leadership
Educational Leadership
 Educational leaders hold important positions in schools. They differ from educational administrators in that leaders often will continue teaching while fulfilling their leadership responsibilities. Administrators hold positions like principal, vice principal or superintendent; they do not teach aside other teachers. Educational leaders are faculty members who hold leadership positions on boards and committees, direct departments, and ensure that projects and goals are met within their department. They work with other teachers to hold everyone accountable for their roles in achieving goals.
You will find educational leadership opportunities at every level of education, although some will be non-paid positions. Taking on a volunteer position can help qualify you for future paid leadership roles at larger, more complex institutions. For example, a small preschool may not offer very many leadership roles at all, but by taking on a non-paid leadership role here, you may be more qualified in the future when you move to a larger school or higher education level. Various educational leadership roles include:
 college or university department chair
high school department director
special education department director
university academic dean
college department chair
athletic director
Working as an educational leader can be a gateway to discovering a whole new way of influencing our nation’s educational system. Many administrators have previously taken on leadership roles that opened new doors into the administration realm. Leadership can be an exciting and rewarding way to make a difference by mentoring younger teachers and helping to improve the way education is carried out at your school.
Great educational leaders possess leadership skills and are experienced enough to know the inter workings of the teaching profession. They are most often senior teachers who are ready for a step up in their careers, leading as department directors, chairs, or deans. In these positions, you would answer to a higher level administrator such as the principal, vice principal, or superintendent. Your voice will also represent the teachers and other faculty in your department when participating in school planning. As an educational leader, you will also be responsible for seeing through fundraising goals, evaluating programs and curricula, and doing it all under budget.
You will be an exceptional educational leader if you possess a strong desire to help other teachers succeed and to improve the quality of education in your area.
Requirements for Educational Leaders
In addition to passing an aptitude test, you will be required to earn a graduate degree to be an educational leader in a math, science, special education or language arts department. Before you pursue your graduate-level work, be sure that the program is offered from an accredited university or college. Other positions may require a doctoral degree, but for most leadership positions, a master’s will suffice. Appropriate master’s programs include those in educational leadership or instructional leadership. You will also be required to have some teaching experience under your belt in order to become a leader in your school.
To qualify for a graduate degree in educational leadership, you must have a bachelor’s degree and state teacher certification. Usually this is already achieved because most applicants at this level have already been practicing teachers for a period of time before deciding to further their career in leadership.
In a master’s or doctoral program in educational leadership, you will be taught the following skills:
team building
improvement of school effectiveness
structuring of educational institutions
comparative international study of education reform
policy analysis and development at the local, state and national levels
Coursework will emphasize research and hands-on leadership training. To find a program that will prepare you for a career in educational leadership, search our complete directory.
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