6 School Administration Careers

Effective teachers are essential to the success of a school and its students, but one can make the argument that effective school administrators at all levels — especially principals — are even more critical to a school’s success.

But the state of public education in the United States continues to decline. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there was a shortage of 64,000 teachers in primary and secondary education schools across the country during the 2015-16 school year, and there will be an estimated 300,000 additional teachers needed by 2020.

With these issues affecting schools nationwide, it’s never been more important for schools to have effective administrators.

These administrators, including principals, superintendents and special education directors, shape school policy and code, provide leadership and help structure a school’s academic curriculum alongside the teaching staff. Administrators also coordinate sporting events and theater-arts performances, as well as communicate with state and federal education officials.

Principals can have a more direct influence on the teaching staff and students, while superintendents serve on a broader level, working to advance an entire school district’s academic success through different measures.

School Administration and Leadership

School administrators at all levels can have a significant impact when it comes to educators executing the school’s curriculum.

These are some of the areas where working in a school administration career can impact both students and staff.

• Leadership development of personnel. Principals are often encouraged to provide and promote their teaching staff, giving them additional responsibility and leadership duties, so that one day they may gain enough experience to move into administrative roles. There are many ways for principals to provide leadership development. In a study of two principals’ leadership styles, one appreciated strengths, facilitated thinking, offered inquiry-guided reflection and assessed leadership learning through contact. The other principal preferred to develop leadership by addressing weaknesses, providing solutions, offering experience-guided reflection and assessing responses to verbal feedback.
• Teacher retention. This is one of the greatest challenges school administrators face. Numerous studies have shown that when given the opportunity, many teachers will choose to leave schools that serve large concentrations of poor, low-performing and non-white students. This undoubtedly impacts a school’s ability to create stability among staff, as well as cultivate their professional and personal growth amid often difficult circumstances. As a result, many lower-performing schools actually pay their teachers more than those at higher-performing schools simply as a way to retain them. Principals and other administrators can also have an impact on whether teachers stay at a school, based on a number of factors such as leadership style, teacher preference and relationship with the administration.
• Graduation rates. School administrators’ decisions about how to strategically execute a curriculum can impact student achievement rates, which subsequently affects graduation rates. Principals’ policy decisions can have significant ramifications for whether students engage in learning or fall behind, potentially dropping out of school altogether.
• School safety. Following the numerous school shootings nationwide over the last 25 years, student safety, inside and outside the school, has never been more important. Administrators develop protocols to deal with emergency situations, such as an active shooter or a fire on campus, in addition to natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes.

School Administration Career Requirements

Most school administration careers have similar prerequisites for job qualification. Using the Commonwealth of Kentucky as an example, administrators must hold some form of a master’s degree, a valid state teaching license and at least one to three years of full-time teaching experience.

School administrators may also have different requirements that are specific to certain positions. These are Kentucky’s certification requirements for six school administrator positions.

1. School Principal

• Successfully complete an approved program of preparation
• Have three years of full-time teaching experience
• Complete the requirements provided by state statute 16 KAR 6:030
• Hold a master’s degree in education

2. School Counselor

• For a provisional certificate, complete a master’s-level program in school counseling
• For a standard certificate, there are two options:
  Option 1: Complete an approved master’s-level program in school counseling; complete an additional three to six credit hours from an approved graduate-level counseling or school counseling program; have one year of full-time employment as a provisionally certified school counselor in an accredited public or private school; hold a Kentucky professional teaching certificate; and have a minimum of one year of full-time classroom teaching experience.
• Option 2: Complete an approved master’s-level program in school counseling; complete an additional three to six credit hours from an approved graduate-level counseling or school counseling program; and have a minimum of two years of full-time employment as a provisionally certified school counselor in an accredited public or private school.

3. School District Superintendent

• Complete an approved program of preparation
• Have the appropriate requirements for certification per state statue KAR Title 16, and have at least two years of experience in the position of school principal, supervisor of instruction, guidance counselor, director of pupil personnel, director of special education or other administrative-level position
• Hold a valid Kentucky teaching license
• Hold a master’s degree
• Complete levels I and II preparation and certification for the position of school principal or supervisor of instruction

4. Supervisor of Instruction

• Successfully complete a preparation program approved by the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB)
• Complete three years of full-time teaching experience
• Hold a master’s degree
• Qualify for the Kentucky teaching certificate

5. Director of Special Education

• Complete a preparation program approved by the EPSB
• Complete three years of full-time experience as a teacher or school psychologist, with a minimum of one year as a teacher of exceptional children or school psychologist
• Attain Rank II certification
• Qualify for a Kentucky teaching certificate or school psychologist certificate

6. Directors and Assistant Directors of Pupil Personnel

• Complete a preparation program approved by the EPSB
• Complete three years of full-time teaching experience
• Hold a master’s degree
• Qualify for a Kentucky teaching certificate

School Administration Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2016 that the median annual wage for education administrators in elementary and secondary schools was $95,390. Specifically looking at principals, with the U.S. population continuing to grow, the need for principals is expected to grow 8 percent by 2026 — that’s a total of 19,700 jobs.

Make an Impact on a Child’s Life

With budget cuts and teacher retention affecting schools nationally, it’s never been more important to have strong administrative leadership within school districts. Achieve your career goals and become a school administrator with Campbellsville University’s fully online teaching degrees, including the brand new M.A. Ed. in Educational Administration (Principal P-12).

At Campbellsville University, you’ll learn the nuts of bolts of leading a school from faculty who have real-world experience, all in classes that are designed for you to succeed and advance your career. Take advantage of our flexible online format which allows you to balance your hectic schedule with your studies. CU offers many teaching degrees, from an associate in education to master’s degrees and several educational certifications.