School Administrator

Going to the Principal’s office does not always have the most positive connotation for many, but when you are the Principal, it takes on a different light entirely. Principals and other School Administrators require more education, but the roles come with a salary that is higher than the average teacher’s. While not a simple career path, school administration can be incredibly rewarding.

School administrators tend to start their careers as teachers before completing a master’s or doctoral degree ahead of starting in educational administration. The licensure, certification, and experience requirements to become a principal vary across states but there are sometimes commonalities across needs for masters degrees, formal certificates of school leadership, and professional administrator licenses.

Future administrators generally demonstrate their determination and motivation by excelling as a proven leader in other areas of work, taking on additional responsibilities in and out of the classroom, offering innovative ideas at faculty meetings, and most importantly, following through on commitments to deliver results. Administrators tend to be in charge of all the operations at their school, overseeing teachers, budgets, curriculum development, school events, and the general learning environment.

But with great power comes great responsibility. Administrators are often held to stringent state and federal standards. With the authority to impact operations and drive change comes necessary accountability as administrators must own for students’ performance on tests and their teachers’ individual and collective ability to drive those test scores.

Administrators also draw on their teaching skills and knowledge for situations ranging from mediating parent-teacher meetings to evaluating teacher performance and observing classrooms. Administrators work year-round handling a number of tasks – ranging from writing up reports on student test scores to  drafting and coordinating next semester’s class schedules. For this reason, some schools have assistant principals to help share duties – from the high level to the nitty-gritty.

Though challenging, It can be a challenging, highly visible job, but the role of principal has plenty of task variety and offers the satisfaction of making real change. If lesson plans and lunchtime quiz grading has got you down, the high risk, high reward role of administration might be a good fit for you.

Such a challenging role requires excellent time management skills, strong interpersonal skills, and a business-oriented acumen. Administrators almost need to be competitive in their desire to see their schools and districts succeed. School administration is for adaptable problem solvers who have a passion for creating sustainable and positive educational outcomes.

What’s Next?

There are numerous opportunities for professional development available to teachers looking to become administrators. For would-be administrators, the path to helping students achieve their goals begins with an online Master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Kansas School of Education.