Educational Administration (CAGS)

The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Educational Administration

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 for applicants who are seeking Massachusetts licensure as a principal, assistant principal, or administrator of special education and want to pursue a variety of leadership roles in schools or related institutions. For those who plan to prepare for top-level positions in educational administration, the program serves as a foundation for further graduate study.

The CAGS is an advanced degree, suitable for students who already hold a master’s degree in education and may be interested in a doctoral program in the future.

All students in the program enroll in core courses providing a comprehensive view of educational leadership and in a practicum involving supervised work in the field. Within this common framework, students specialize through their pre-practicum and practicum experiences in preparing for roles as principal, assistant principal, supervisor/director, or administrator of special education. The core includes classes in leadership, organizations and change, two advanced courses addressing the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities, courses in personnel supervision, school law, budgeting, multicultural perspectives in education, and how to use data for school improvement.

The program uses a cohort model and accepts students once a year, in the spring, to begin their studies in September. Students take two or three courses each semester for two years, in addition to two courses in the intervening summer. Courses are offered to accommodate the educational practitioner – in the late afternoon and evening or occasionally online. Summer courses are held in June or July or online.

To meet its goal of developing leaders who can be effective in improving schools, the program focuses on eight interrelated tenets of leadership:

1. Instructional leaders connect curriculum, instruction and assessment to improve learning for all students.
2. Anti-racist leaders use knowledge and skills about race, gender, and culture to build school environments characterized by social justice and equity.
3. Organizational and cultural leaders use solid understandings of organizational dynamics and of culture to move successfully toward a shared vision for a school.
4. Managerial leaders 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 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 use data and enhance their organization’s capacity to use data for assessment, continuous improvement, and decision making.
7. Communication leaders use interpersonal oral and written skills to work effectively with a variety of audiences, including parents and community members.
8. Reflective leaders demonstrate the ability to integrate these tenets in context, to learn from practice, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to plan for personal learning.