Principal Leadership – Take Your Career to the Next Level

Until recently there was not much real-world evidence regarding the impact of effective school principals on student learning, but a recent study changes that.  Reported in the EducationNext, Winter 2013 edition, the article cites evidence that indeed a school’s leadership does make a difference.  The authors of the study are Gregory F. Branch of the University of Texas at Dallas Education Research Center, Eric A. Hanushek from the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and Steven G. Rivkin, professor of economics at University of Illinois at Chicago. 

The study indicates that, “Highly effective principals raise the achievement of a typical student in their schools by between two and seven months of learning in a single school year; ineffective principals lower achievement by the same amount. These impacts are somewhat smaller than those associated with having a highly effective teacher. But teachers have a direct impact on only those students in their classroom; differences in principal quality affect all students in a given school.”  Their report specifically examines the importance of effective leadership at schools serving disadvantaged students as leadership is vital to attracting and retaining high-quality teachers despite less desirable working conditions.  We encourage you to read more of their fascinating study. 

At GSU we offer educators the opportunity to take their career to the next level by earning their Master of Arts in Educational Administration degree designed to prepare school administrators and leaders.  For those wishing to pursue the job of a school principal, one of the choices of concentration in our program is Principal Leadership (K-12).

As a student in the program, you are given the opportunity to learn how to transition from the classroom to a leadership role with plenty of field and clinical experiences.  Please see our website for the complete requirements and details for our Master of Arts in Educational Administration concentration in Principal Leadership (K- 12). 

Source: http://educationnext.org/school-leaders-matter/

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.