About the Program

The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies Program in Educational Administration is housed in the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Leadership in Education. The program is designed to develop transformational leaders that will design and shape the educational systems of the future; ensure every child succeeds with a focus on those populations that have been underrepresented, underestimated and underserve.  For those who plan to prepare for top-level positions in educational leadership, the program serves as a foundation for further graduate study.

All students in the program enroll in core courses as a cohort to engage in a comprehensive view of educational leadership and in a practicum involving supervised work in the field. Within this common framework, students specialize through their practicum and internship, experiences in preparing for educational leadership. The core includes classes in social justice, anti-racist leaders, leadership development organizations and change, as well as a two-course sequence in curriculum, courses in personnel supervision, school law, budgeting, multicultural perspectives in education, and how to use data for school improvement.

Goals: 

1. To provide practical and theoretical experiences and knowledge by focusing on Eight Leadership Tenets that examine the beliefs and values that impact student learning while using cultural competency to promote inclusive and equitable instruction for all students.
2. To support students in developing a portfolio of evidence reflecting competency in leadership in preparation for leading schools or community-based organization in efforts to dismantle social inequities.
3. To provide curricula that supports all candidates, regardless of whether they are interested in pursuing the MA licensure process.

Outcomes: By the end of the two-year, 36 credit program, students will have gained a deeper understanding of the Eight Leadership Tenets.

1. Instructional Leaders who can connect curriculum, instruction and assessment to improve learning for all students.
2. Anti-racist Leaders who can use knowledge and skills about race, gender, and culture to build school environments characterized by social justice and equity.
3. Organizational and Cultural Leaders who can use solid understandings of organizational dynamics and culture to move successfully toward a shared vision for a school.
4. Managerial Leaders who can marshal the “nuts and bolts” of management and operations—human, financial, technological, and legal resources—to attain goals and serve a broader vision.
5. Leaders of Other Leaders who can use their understanding of the best principles and practices of professional development to support the growth of staff members and colleagues.
6. Data-oriented Leaders who can use data and enhance their organization’s capacity to use data for assessment, continuous improvement, and decision-making.
7. Communication Leaders who can use interpersonal oral and written skills to work effectively with a variety of audiences, including parents and community members. 
8. Reflective Leaders who can demonstrate the ability to integrate these tenets in context, to learn from practice, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to plan for personal learning.