MA in Educational Leadership with PK-12 Principal Certification
Advance Your School Community and Your Career
Effective leadership is in high demand in PK-12 education. Rosemont’s MA in Educational Leadership with PK-12 Principal Certification equips you with the expertise needed to encourage excellence and innovation among staff while meeting the needs of students of diverse abilities and backgrounds.
Applying is Straightforward and Free
Rosemont has been supporting students like you to advance their lives, and those of their families, through education since 1921. We believe a quality education should be affordable and attainable, and our application process reflects this. Applying is easy, and free. And we’ll only need a few supporting documents to make sure Rosemont is the best fit for you.
All candidates for admission into the MA in Educational Leadership with PK-12 Principal Certification program must possess an Instructional I or Instructional II certification with three years of teaching experience or, in some cases, provide verification of three years of relevant professional experience. For the purpose of this section, relevant professional experience is “professional experience in an educational setting that is related to the instructional process.” This will be determined by the Director of Teacher Education in conjunction with PDE. Click here to learn about how to apply and associated requirements.
A Comprehensive Curriculum Taught by Experts in the Education Field
Rosemont graduate education professors are leading experts in the field, making extraordinary contributions to school administration, teaching, literacy, leadership, ESL programming, and more. Learn more about the program faculty.
The MA in Educational Leadership with PK-12 Principal Certification is a 30-credit (three-semester) program that is offered in a traditional 14-week-semester format. It is designed to meet the PDE Pennsylvania Inspired Leadership (PIL) Standards.
Certification Requirements (24 Credits)
This is the first course in a sequence leading to candidacy for PA administrative certification as a K-12 school principal. The theories of leadership, organizational culture and planned change are studied.
The principal as instructional leader, to improve teaching and learning, is investigated as well as the importance of school visions, missions, strategic planning and data-driven decision making.
The role of the school principal in supporting curriculum and professional development and the research underpinnings of effective schools are reviewed.
This course examines curriculum, instruction and assessment in the context of standards-based education. It provides school leaders with the ability to understand major curriculum design models, interpret school district curricula, initiate needs analyses, plan and implement a framework for aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Standards and benchmarks, state and national influence, and curriculum assessments will be examined. Emphasis is given to providing knowledge and skills that will enhance pedagogy, effective school and classroom leadership, and creating a culture that supports learning.
This course will introduce students to current best practices in classroom assessment and explore the critical role that assessment plays in the teaching and learning process. Understanding of the use and purpose of formative and summative assessment strategies will be developed, with an emphasis on providing feedback and making adjustments to instructional practices.
The link between assessment and grading will also be discussed. Assessment will also be viewed in light of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the emphasis on data-driven decision making and standards-based instruction. Concepts related to assessment and measurement, such as validity, reliability, and other statistical measures will also be explored.
This course provides a theoretical and practical overview of the supervision and evaluation of instruction. Evolving concepts of supervision of instruction are combined with opportunities to acquire skills to function in supervisory roles are introduced.
The domains, current issues, and best practices are studied to develop the practical skills for using the clinical process and developmental approach to supervision. Supervision and evaluation policies, procedures and professional growth opportunities are studied.
This course is intended to provide the teacher candidate with an in-depth understanding of laws and legal cases that determine current practices in the field of special education.
In addition, teacher candidates will review state regulations, state forms, and explore websites providing information and support regarding students/parents/professionals in meeting legal requirements in the education of special needs students.
Professional and educational organizations will be explored parents / professionals in meeting legal requirements in the education of special needs students. Professional and educational organizations will be explored.
This course will focus on the study of legal and ethical issues as related to practical problems of school administration. Laws are reviewed that pertain to public schools, including constitutional laws, state laws, and landmark court decisions that have helped to shape school law.
The impact of school law on the formulation and implementation of school-based secondary language and literacy development and academic achievement will be studied.
The administrative internships are field-based assignments to prepare aspiring principals to function as school administrators and leaders on the elementary and secondary levels.
Each course in this certification program includes practicum components, assignments, and projects to contribute to a yearlong concurrent internship. The Administrative Internship will last for one full year and equate to a minimum of 360 hours.
The Internship must be completed sequentially in three distinct phases; namely, fall, spring, and summer. However, the student can select the starting phase as long as the program is sequential. Interns must complete a minimum of 120 hours in each phase of the Internship.
Interns/Students will receive one hour of credit for successful completion of each phase of the Internship. Two PDE 430 forms will be completed by the college supervisor during each phase of the Internship; thereby, totaling six.
MA in Educational Leadership (Additional 6 Credits)
Participants in this course will engage in explorations of action research in theory and practice in relation to serving as an administrator or teacher in their school. Students will make connections between their theoretical understandings of research and their own emergence as practitioner researchers in educational settings.
Participants will view themselves as producers of knowledge who can learn more about administration or instruction by studying their own experiences to improve school effectiveness and student learning. They will have an opportunity to identify a problem in their school, or practice, devise a plan, gather and analyze data, report results and develop implications for their future administrative or teaching practices and action research.
This course examines contemporary issues in education, including the political and social influences on schools. Students will examine relevant educational policy on the local, state, and national levels and the risk factors that many students must overcome to succeed in the classroom.
Trends in curriculum, instruction, and assessment will be analyzed as students reflect on the research and best practices that contribute to effective schools, teaching, and student learning.
Look Forward to a Successful Career
Employment for elementary, middle, and high school principals is projected to increase 4 percent by 2029, in tandem with the growth of student enrollment and educational institutions. The national median salary for a principal with a master’s degree ranges from $105,599-$112,880. In Pennsylvania, a principal can expect a salary between $96,782 to $123,276.