Online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership Career Outlook

Once you hold your M.Ed. in Educational Leadership degree in hand, you'll be prepared to make changes that lead toward excellence in student achievement while supporting teachers and staff in your role as an AP or principal.

Career Spotlight: Principal

Elementary, middle, and high school principals typically need a master's degree in education administration or leadership alongside a minimum of five years of related experience.1  Within this role, you'll serve as the public representative of the school and solve the challenges of aligning your school's processes, technologies and faculty with modern, data-based strategies for improvement and support that are equitable for students and faculty. 

In 2022, these positions offered a median salary of $101,320 per year.1 

More Careers to Consider with Your M.Ed. in Educational Leadership

Many schools have assistant principals as well as a principals. Assistant principals help with administrative tasks such as student safety, counseling, and transportation issues. They could also handle discipline and attendance, and oversee a particular subject area, such as math or reading.

In larger school districts, a professional with an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership could manage data analysis and assist with the professional development of teachers.

Some graduates have pursued roles in educational or student administration, student affairs, higher education, or other education-related fields in consulting and training. 

Excel in Your New Role

The rigorous curriculum in the online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership is designed to support your growth and abilities as an educational administrator. Recognized for meeting the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards, you graduate well-prepared for new roles with the knowledge and abilities outlined in all eight of their standard categories.

Standard 1: Mission, Vision, and Improvement

  • You know how to lead improvement processes that include data use, design, implementation, and evaluation.
  • You can evaluate, develop, and communicate a school mission and vision designed to reflect a core set of values and priorities.

Standard 2: Ethics and Professional Norms

  • You can model ethical behavior in your personal conduct and relationships and cultivate ethical behavior in others as you support each student and adult's educational success and well-being.
  • You're qualified to evaluate, advocate, and communicate ethical and legal decisions.

Standard 3: Equity, Inclusiveness, and Cultural Responsiveness

  • You know how to lead improvement processes that include data use, design, implementation, and evaluation.
  • You can evaluate, develop, and communicate a school mission and vision designed to reflect a core set of values and priorities.

 Standard 4: Learning and Instruction

  • Understand how you can work collaboratively to evaluate, develop, and implement the school’s curriculum, instruction, technology, data systems, and assessment practices that support data-informed instructional improvement and student learning and well-being in a coherent, equitable, and systematic manner.
  • Evaluate, develop, and implement high-quality, technology-rich curricula programs and other supports for academic and non-academic student programs, instructional practices, resources, technologies, and services that support equity, digital literacy, and the school’s systems.

Standard 5: Community and External Leadership

  • Work to collaboratively engage diverse families in strengthening student learning in and out of school and cultivate relationships with diverse community members, partners, and other constituencies for the benefit of school improvement and student development.
  • Communicate through oral, written, and digital means within the larger organizational, community, and political contexts when advocating for the needs of your school and community.

 Standard 6: Operations and Management 

  • Evaluate, develop, and implement management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems that support each student’s learning needs and promote the mission and vision of the school.
  • Evaluate, develop, and advocate for a data-informed and equitable resourcing plan that supports school improvement and student development.
  • Evaluate and implement laws, rights, policies, and regulations to promote student and adult success and well-being and be able to communicate them to a greater audience. 

Standard 7: Building Professional Capacity

  • Collaboratively develop the school’s professional capacity through engagement in recruiting, selecting, and hiring staff.
  • Develop and engage staff in a collaborative professional culture designed to promote school improvement, teacher retention, and the success and well-being of each student and adult in the school.
  • Personally and collaboratively engage school staff in professional learning designed to promote reflection, cultural responsiveness, distributed leadership, digital literacy, school improvement, and student success.
  • Evaluate, develop, and implement supervision, support, and evaluation systems designed to promote school improvement and student success.

Standard 8: Internship

  • Complete a succession of authentic field and/or clinical internship experiences within multiple school environments that afford you the opportunities to interact with stakeholders, synthesize and apply the content knowledge, and develop and refine the professional skills articulated in each of the components included in NELP building-level program standards 1–7.
  • Work a minimum of six months for 10–15 hours per week in internship or clinical experiences that include authentic leadership activities within a school setting.
  • Work directly with a mentor who has demonstrated effectiveness as an educational leader within a building setting; is present for a significant portion of the internship; is selected collaboratively by the intern, a representative of the school and/or district, and program faculty; and has received training from the supervising institution.

Gain the knowledge you need to advance your career in educational administration with the online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University. Contact a program manager toll-free at 833/257-1704 to learn more or request more information today.

Source

  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Elementary-Middle-and-High-School-Principals." Retrieved Dec. 11, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/elementary-middle-and-high-school-principals.htm.