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Master’s of Education: Principal Endorsement

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Program Overview

This state-approved program is designed for the educator who holds a state teaching license and wishes to complete the requirements to be a principal, which may also be referred to as a building-level administrator or leader. Candidates who do not possess a current teaching license are not eligible for the Endorsement Concentration. Candidates who have an expired license will need to renew that license before starting this pathway.

Become a principal, vice principal, or assistant principal... but this path is also a great choice for those who aspire to be an athletic director, a leader in Special Education or Early Childhood, a district-wide department chair, or someone who supervises and evaluates personnel. Our Educational Leadership program is built around and aligned with National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards and Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performance Standards.

Candidates will complete an internship (embedded within each course), a mentor program, and a leadership portfolio of various documents and forms to satisfy the academic requirements of the state. The requirements for Principal Endorsement by the Nebraska Department of Education are found in Title 92, Nebraska Administrative Code, Chapter 24.

Principal Endorsement students choose this program to:

Acquire the experience and expertise to lead others by engaging in problem-solving, planning, research, assessment, and collaboration.
Gain knowledge from experienced professionals who share well-established expertise on topics such as leadership, ethics, school culture, technology, grading and assessment, organization, and other key topics.
Build upon skills used in the classroom to understand the types of decisions and leadership skills necessary to have at an administrative level.
Learn from faculty who will share experiences, techniques, and approaches to real-world school leadership challenges.
Participate in an authentic internship experience in their home districts with support from a field-based mentor of their choosing and an assigned faculty mentor.

Admission to the Principal Endorsement Program

In addition to our standard graduate-level admissions criteria, candidates for the Principal Endorsement program must:

Apply to the college, choosing the Principal Endorsement degree plan.
Meet the additional teaching and experience requirements as outlined by the Nebraska Department of Education.
Complete an additional, program-specific application to be provided by your Admissions Counselor. This application includes identifying a Principal Mentor and Faculty Mentor for your program.
Attend a consultation with the Program Director.
Complete an orientation course.

Out-of-State Candidates

"Out of state" primarily refers to those working somewhere other than in Nebraska. It can also refer to those candidates with teaching licenses from other states. Nebraska may impose additional requirements to be satisfied for those without a Nebraska teaching license before granting a principal endorsement. For candidates ultimately desiring to be licensed in a state other than Nebraska under reciprocity agreements, each candidate's responsibility is to verify that York University's program will be acceptable in their respective state.

Courses

The Master of Arts in Education with Principal Endorsement is a 36 or 45 credit hour program, depending on the grade level of your original license and that of the endorsement being sought. An endorsement at the same grade level as the existing certification requires 36 credit hours. An endorsement at a different grade level than the existing certification requires 45 credit hours. Grade levels are PK-12, PK-8, or 7-12.

Course descriptions and more information can be found in the course catalog >>

Core Curriculum

9 hours - each course is 3 hours

Research Design & Methodology

GRS 5311 - This course will provide an opportunity for participants to establish or advance their understanding of research through critical exploration of research language, ethics, and approaches. The course introduces the language of research, ethical principles and challenges, and the elements of the research process within quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Participants will use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review literature relevant to their field or interests and determine how research findings are useful in informing their understanding of their environment (work, social, local, global).

Program Planning & Evaluation

GRS 5331 - Program Planning presents an overview of the process for designing, presenting and evaluating programs in a variety of fields. This course provides instruction and practice in designing and implementing high quality programs. This essential skills learning is for York University Online professionals to build skills in the areas of program development, evaluation, and influence reporting. The course includes training on active learning, practical application, and practice in developing evaluation tools to measure program impact.

Navigating in a Diverse Society

GRS 5341 - This course provides students with the awareness, knowledge and skills required of professional leaders, supervisors, managers, counselors, and educators if they are to be effective in a pluralistic and diverse society. This course prepares students to be multi-culturally competent. Diversity and identity issues, multicultural models and frameworks will be explored in relation to their impact on therapeutic, instructional, and supervisory relationships.

Major Curriculum

18 hours - each course is 3 hours

The School as an Organization

MAE 5321 - The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge of organization and administrative functions within a K-12 educational setting. Specific topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas: organizational structures, school culture, bringing about change in schools, collaboration, school improvement planning, personnel, student support services, special education, school support programs and agencies, instructional support, curriculum development and professional development. The theories and principles held by a variety of authors in the area of school leadership will be explored, through the reading and presenting a review of a book on school leadership by each class member. Professional learning communities of class members will gain experience in working as a collaborative team in developing a school improvement plan to turn around a dysfunctional school.

Teachers and the Law

MAE 5351 - Educators must have a working knowledge of the laws which help them do their job better. They must also understand the boundaries within which they work. This course will provide information based on school law that focuses on aspects of historical court cases, as well and current issues and the ever-changing legal ramifications of working in an educational setting.

Learning Through Technology

MAE 5361 - This course explores blended learning from perspectives of theory and practice and is designed for leaders, educators, and instructional designers in all educational environments. It focuses on the application of theory and research to pedagogy and curriculum design to achieve a synergy between synchronous and asynchronous environments. Topics include theoretical frameworks and best practices in blended learning, institutional perspectives and assessment, and the design and implementation of a blended curriculum.

Current Issues in Instruction/Education

MAE 6341 - Students will explore and examine current issues in Instruction including politics, public opinion and practical application of instruction and learning in a school or learning environment. Educators and trainers must be knowledgeable regarding implications of state and federal legislation regarding delivery systems, funding, high stakes testing and how curriculum and instruction is affected by external forces. This course also surveys historical and current trends in educational curriculum development and their impact on public and non-public schools from an instructional leadership perspective.

Assessment of Learning

MAE 6321 - In this course, students will study assessment literacy and design and develop assessments to be integrated into the learning process. Prior assessment, formative assessment, summative assessment, portfolio assessment, and performance-based assessment will be studied. Students will understand how clearly developed learning outcomes will inform the process of curriculum evaluation and revision. Effective testing and evaluation linked to course outcomes and grading policies will also be discussed.

Capstone for Educational Leadership

MAE 6361 - The Capstone course is a culminated experience of the Educational Leadership (Principal Endorsement) candidate’s program of study. The internship hours and portfolio are reviewed at the end of this course to ensure the evidence of practicum hours and academic plans. Additionally, the candidate will review leadership theory and practically engage with principal standards.

Principal Endorsement

9 hours - required for all PE candidates

School Supervision

EDL 6311 - This course will examine the role of the school leader and the various roles/principles of supervision as they pertain to instructional leadership, school policy, and human resources. Content will discuss the fundamentals of recruiting and hiring quality staff. Students will learn the typical roles of principals, superintendents, and other educational supervisors. Other topics are leadership styles, student outcomes, and school operations.

School Finance

EDL 6321 - This course exposes students to insight regarding the cost of operations for K-12 schools. Topics will review the laws and regulations that oversee financial reporting at the local, state, and federal levels. Students will also examine the fundamental information of accounting principles, resource allocations, fiscal responsibilities, daily operations costs and administrative processes as they pertain to the fiscal responsibilities of school leaders.

Building & Managing Educational Teams

EDL 6331 - School leaders are called upon to work collaboratively with faculty and staff in order to accomplish much of the work that is required of them. Building and managing effective teams in a school setting is an important way to accomplish the tasks of school leaders and instructors. Professional Learning Communities tenets will be examined to understand how teams can be effective in school improvement. Other topics include high-performing teams, developing team skills, resolving conflict and virtual teams.

Principal Endorsement (PE45)

9 hours - required for 45-hour program

Science of Reading

MCI 6371 - The science of reading represents research that explains the cognitive and neural pathways of reading. This course will focus on the reading development of the PK-12 learner, the six essential elements of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing), as well as the effective instructional practices that support literacy development across the ages. The course will look at the application of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to make data-driven decisions.

Critical Issues in Social & Emotional Learning

SEL 6331 - This course examines issues related to social emotional learning and leadership development. It will explore contributing factors and how caring professionals can help people overcome problems and build resilience that affect their motivation to learn as well as their interpersonal skills.

Administrative Strategies in Athletics

SPA 6341 - This course will explore leadership theory and themes applied to athletic leaders, managers, coaches, players, and staff. An emphasis will be placed on current events, opportunities, and challenges facing athletic programs and franchises.

More courses can be found in the course catalog >>

Internship Courses

3 hours - pass/fail - only if needed

Principal Leadership Internship

EDL 6351/6352/6353 Students will complete internship experience with a building mentor while developing a deeper understanding and application of the site’s educational philosophy, mission, and vision and further their knowledge and skills that align with the current building-level standards. This is a pass/fail, repeatable course designed to help the student achieve the minimum number of internship hours necessary to be eligible for enrollment in the Principal Endorsement Capstone.

Terms & Textbooks

You can start with ANY term... we have 6 terms each academic year. No textbook costs for most classes. All graduate-level and most undergraduate-level courses incorporate free open educational resources in the coursework.

Textbook List

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