The Masters in Educational Leadership is a 36-credit, field-based program in which candidates earn an MA in Education as well as school principal licensure.
The program combines convenient on-line coursework, exceptional readings, and face-to-face residencies rich with dialogues about transformative leadership. In addition, candidates conduct a closely supervised, two-year project to effect change in their school. The goal is to become exceptional principals who will work in concert with their school's faculty to create schools that allow students to realize their potential as citizens in a complex and changing world.
The program's philosophy is based on the notion that respected leaders engage in a constant process of self-examination and transformation. Leaders transform themselves by questioning their assumptions, acquiring skills and knowledge, enriching their understanding, developing their compassion and realizing their dreams. While doing so, they encourage their staff and students to develop their potential. Simultaneously, their schools undergo transformation as they realize and revisit their School Improvement Plans.
Students completing the master's degree in educational leadership will demonstrate their successful realization of the following learning outcomes in their respective leadership settings (statements in bold italics are from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards):
An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by all stakeholders.
- Collaborative development and implementation of a shared vision and mission;
- Collection and use of data to identify goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and promote organizational learning;
- Creation and implementation of plans to achieve goals and promote continuous and sustainable improvement as well as to monitor and evaluate progress and revise plans.
An education leader promotes the success of every student by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
- Nurture and sustain a culture of collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations;
- Creation of a comprehensive, rigorous, and coherent curricular program and monitor and evaluate the impact of the instructional program;
- Creation of a personalized and motivating learning environment for students;
- Supervision of instruction and development of assessment and accountability systems to monitor student progress;
- Development of the instructional and leadership capacity of staff to maximize time spent on quality instruction, and to promote the use of the most effective and appropriate technologies in support of teaching and learning.
An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
- Monitoring and evaluation of management and operational systems to obtain, allocate, align, and efficiently utilize human, fiscal, and technological resources;
- Promotion and protection of the welfare and safety of students and staff through developing capacity for distributed leadership;
- Direction of teacher and organizational time to focus support on quality instruction and student learning.
An education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.
- Collection and analysis of data and information pertinent to the educational environment;
- Promotion of understanding, appreciation, and use of the community's diverse cultural, social, and intellectual resources;
- Construction of sustained positive and productive relationships with families, caregivers, and community partners.
An education leader promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner
- Establishment of a system of accountability for every student's academic and social success, which considers and evaluates the potential moral and legal consequences of decision-making;
- Modeling of the principles of self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior and safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity;
- Promotion of social justice and a culture in which individual student needs inform all aspects of schooling.
An education leader promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context
- Advocacy for children, families, and caregivers that effectively influences local, district, state, and national decisions affecting student learning;
- Assessment, analysis, and anticipation of emerging trends and initiatives in order to adapt leadership strategies.
Principal Endorsement
If a teacher is looking to add the principal endorsement to their current license and they already have a Master's degree in Education, they only need to take certain courses in the program that address the endorsement expectations for principal. See the section below titled "Principal Endorsement."
This program is approved for licensure by the Vermont Agency of Education's Program Review Team and is framed by both the Core Leadership Standards for Vermont Educators and the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL). In addition, through the Mediated Achievement Plan (see EDU 6815), prospective candidates will be assured of meeting the 300-hour internship required by the state. Candidates will successfully complete all coursework and their internship, hold an earned Master's degree, and have 3 or more years of teaching experience as a licensed educator in order to be recommended for the principal endorsement.
For more information, please contact Dr. Ric Reardon, Director of Education, at 802-468-1234 or Richard.reardon@castleton.edu.
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