• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

SuccessDegrees

  • Search All Online Degrees
  • Affordable Nursing Degrees
  • Affordable Bachelor Degrees
  • Online Nursing Masters Degrees
    • Nursing Informatics Degrees
    • Best Reasons To Get A Nursing Masters Degree
    • Advanced Care Nursing Careers
    • Masters In Nursing Education Careers
    • Why Become A Nurse Educator?
    • Transferring Credits From One Nursing Master’s School To Another
  • Low Cost Online MBAs
You are here: Home / Education / Career Paths That A Masters Degree in Teacher Leadership Can Offer

Career Paths That A Masters Degree in Teacher Leadership Can Offer

By Paul Mannet

master's degree in teaching leadership

Click For A List Of Top Online Schools Offering Education Degrees

By Susan Ott
Teachers often reach a point in their careers where they want to become leaders who can affect change in their schools and communities. But not all of them want to leave the classroom to do it.
A masters degree in teacher leadership is unique because it can help boost your career as an educator, but give you a choice of two career paths. You can either:

  • focus on improving your teaching and curriculum development skills to become more effective in your current job as a full-time classroom teacher, or:
  • move towards splitting your time between teaching and a new role that involves leadership. If you choose this path, the part of your job that happens outside the classroom can involve mentoring colleagues, becoming a program developer (department head, curriculum specialist or technology specialist), or acting as a liaison between your school and community.

The masters in teaching leadership degree can be a good choice if you want to help students on a deeper level, but don’t want to become a full-time administrator. It often appeals to teachers who want to advance their careers without totally giving up classroom teaching.

Degree Specifics
A masters in teacher leadership is less about management (as in an educational leadership degree) and more about taking the skills and knowledge you already have as a teacher to the next level. Within a teacher leadership program, you’ll focus on subjects such as school improvement, technology, special education, school law and specific subject area content. Most of these areas were probably touched on in your undergrad degree, but with a masters, you’ll become more of an expert, able to then lead and teach others.

With this degree, you’ll have the expertise and ability to be a leader in three main areas: your classroom, your colleagues and your community. Teacher leaders are able to devise new methods within the classroom to improve student performance and reach students who are struggling. They are also able to serve as leaders and mentors to their fellow teachers, sharing and teaching current methods of instruction, discipline, technology and more to improve the overall performance of their school. Some schools have mentoring and leader programs in which veteran teachers with this degree spend a portion of their professional time teaching newer teachers tricks of the trade. And other teacher leaders go beyond the walls of their schools and into the community to devise learning opportunities for adults and others besides their students.

A certification in teacher leadership also exists. While this is not included in your masters program, your academic advisor or department head should be able to help you through the process. Much like your initial teacher certification, this process will require a series of tests, and earning the certificate shows that you are a consummate professional in this field.

What Specific Jobs Can Your Get With This Degree?
Since most teachers who earn this degree do so to stay in the classroom, you may not receive an actual title change after graduation. But this all depends on what your goals are with this degree.

For teachers whose main goal is to improve their instruction and leadership in connecting with students and parents, you’ll probably receive a pay raise for earning your masters, but not a new job title. However, if you’re looking to stay in the classroom, yet advance your title as well, you might consider being a program coordinator or department chair. Teachers in these positions usually trade a period or two of classroom instruction for prep periods in which they can work towards improving the academic programs in their school at large or specific subject area. This job also could include mentoring other teachers.

Other jobs within this field include technology integration specialist or teacher on special assignment, either within the school or in the community. As described above, teachers will usually hold on to some of their classroom and teaching responsibilities, yet split their time in one of these positions. If you wish to improve the technology within your school, you’ll probably work closely not only with other teachers in helping them use integrated computer programs, smart boards and more, you’ll also work with your school librarian(s) as well. Many librarians are now counted upon to have a comprehensive understanding of technology, so you may mentor or team up with your librarian in this position. And if you choose to be on a special assignment, the opportunities vary quite greatly. You could do anything from improving the curriculum in a certain subject area to being a liaison between your school and the community. The great thing about this position is that you can use your strengths to really make a difference in your school.

Specific Courses
Schools that offer a masters in teacher leadership may call their courses by slightly different names, however, the courses below outline the majority of topics you’ll cover in your program. Be sure to check your school’s course catalogue for more specifics, such as exact course names and numbers, as well as credit hours earned for each.

  • Intro to Teacher Leadership
  • Curriculum Organization, Theory and Policy
  • Research and Analysis of Classroom Practice
  • Creating an Effective Classroom Learning Environment
  • Instructional & Organizational Leadership
  • Educational Research
  • Cultural & Community Relations
  • Legal & Ethical Issues in Education
  • Coaching and Mentoring
  • Educational Technology
  • Practicum Seminar

Click to rate this post!
[Total: 0 Average: 0]

Filed Under: Education

Sponsored Schools

Pacific Oaks College
A not-for-profit school offering courses at several campuses in California as well as a range of online programs, Pacific Oaks has a number of completion degree options. Education degrees online include:
– MA Early Childhood Education
– MA Elementary Education
– Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
– Preliminary Education Specialist Instructional Credential
Get info on Pacific Oaks College

Concordia University St. Paul
Concordia, in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a private university founded in 1893 with about 5,000 students. It’s part of a system of 9 Concordia schools. It offers two education-focused online degrees:
– BA in Child Development
– MS Early Childhood Education
Get info on Concordia

Grand Canyon University
A large private school offering online degrees at a relatively moderate price for a school with strong name recognition across the country. Grand Canyon has a good selection of degrees in education including:
– BS Elementary Education, multiple specialties
– BS Early Childhood Education, multiple specialties
– BS Education Studies
– M.Ed. Elementary Education
– M.Ed Secondary Education
– M.Ed. Special Education
– M.Ed. Early Childhood Education
– MS Secondary Education, many different specialties
Get info on Grand Canyon University
More on Grand Canyon accreditation:
In choosing a university, you should ensure your choice is regionally accredited, as this provides an assurance of quality as well as continual institutional program improvement.
Regional accreditation in higher education originated almost a century ago as an American process conferred by a nongovernmental agency. Today, one of the most respected agencies is the Higher Learning Commission, which is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and its predecessor have accredited GCU continually since 1968. GCU obtained its most recent 10-year reaccreditation in 2007.
To be accredited, the HLC’s examiners and trained peers visit GCU’s campus, analyze and accept the university’s operations and academic outcomes as meeting HLC’s core competencies.
http://www.gcu.edu/degree-programs/ppc
http://www.gcu.edu/documents/legacy/GCUAccreditation.pdf
Additional Accreditation for Nursing Education:
– Earlier Graduation – Our 4 credit classes allow you to complete your nursing degree in less time.
– Degree Variety – GCU offers bachelors and master’s degrees, as well as post-masters certificates. We offer high-demand programs such as RN to BSN, and MSN’s with multiple emphases.
– Accredited – The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions offers programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)1 and approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
– Learn From Leaders – At Grand Canyon University, classes are taught by industry leaders and subject matter experts.
– 1The baccalaureate degree in nursing and master’s degree in nursing at Grand Canyon University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
– GCU’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is also approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
– ²Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Registered Nurses, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm

About Paul Mannet

Paul Mannet has worked for over 15 years in digital media as a publisher, business analyst and project director. His experience in higher education includes student recruitment work with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Blackboard, eLearners and with several leading online schools. He has also helped entrepreneurs gain funding from investors, and organized large business and tech teams to execute major website launches.
Contact me by email
Linkedin Profile

Primary Sidebar

MORE ABOUT EDUCATION CAREER DEGREES

The Right Bachelor's Degree To Become A Kindergarten Teacher

Unique Benefits Of An Online Early Childhood Education Degree

Is A Specialized Or General Masters Degree Better In Education?

Degrees That Can Move You From The Classroom To The Principal's Office

In-Classroom Student Teaching And Practicum Requirements For An Online Bachelor's In Education

Choosing Which Level To Teach At

Benefits Of A Master's Degree In Educational Leadership

For Public School Teachers, A Higher Degree Can Trigger A Higher Salary

Success Degrees Privacy Policy      Terms of Use     Affiliate Disclosure
Copyright © 2022-2023, All Rights Reserved Rum Point Digital, Inc., P.O. Box 162, Peconic, NY 11958
Contact Us