Strong leadership shapes your surroundings and influences others to make a positive societal change.
Similarly, educational leadership is about transforming an individual’s attitude, turning them into role models, and helping them succeed in life.
Educational leaders are not only recognized for establishing an institution’s reputable name but also for improving the learning environment, which is essential for a student’s personal and professional growth.
Behind every renowned institution is a leader who strives day and night to uphold the standards. It is true because the lack of a strong foundation compromises a student’s learning, causing them to bear the burnt in the long run.
So, what contributes to effective educational leadership? Let’s have a look.
Instead of working on their own hidden agenda, the exceptional leader focuses on building communities. They work towards building and leveraging partnerships that result in hard-working members and guiding them towards prosperity.
An educational leader who aspires to serve the community must cultivate transparency within the institution and let the staff, students, and parents in on objectives and how those objectives are achieved as a team.
A competent leader knows that impacting or influencing others is not a stand-alone job. Creating a team of hard-working colleagues, side by side, and encouraging them to learn and develop leadership skills that lead to fruitful outcomes is what it takes to fill the leadership shoe.
Students learn more efficiently when teachers are allowed to create a space that enables them to experiment, innovate and lead; it signifies a healthy learning environment that has positive repercussions for learners.
If you have the skills needed for an educational leader’s role, start your journey by getting a master’s degree in education after completing your undergraduate degree.
The field of educational leadership is vast, with various options to your liking. A few of those options are mentioned for you to consider.
1. Academic Dean
An academic dean handles the academic and managerial responsibilities of the school. Academic responsibilities include overseeing curriculum development, faculty hiring, and student enrollment.
To become a qualified academic dean, an individual must have extensive experience working in academia. The experience must include research skills, project management, and lectures on various courses.
The dean reports to the chancellor and works closely with the institution’s compliance office, vice chancellor for finance, research, and department heads to maintain accountability and resolve compliance issues.
The demand for the academic dean is growing significantly as student enrollment increases. The salary depends on experience, education, and the location or size of the relevant institution.
2. Academic Advisor
An academic advisor conducts one-on-one sessions to assess the student’s academic progress and helps them reach their goals.
After a thorough evaluation, academic advisors devise a strategy and ensure that a student follows the particular course of action.
These professionals assist students from all kinds of institutional backgrounds, whether university, college, or school. Having an in-depth knowledge of various degree programs is the prerequisite for living up to the role of academic advisor.
Aside from guiding students to enroll in a particular program, advisors also assist learners wanting a transfer to another institution.
Academic advisors ensure pupils stick to the plan from start to end, meeting deadlines. Some advisors are not only confined within the four walls; they also travel to educational fairs to meet potential students to turn their academic interests into a reality.
A trained academic advisor has strong communication skills, several years of advising experience, and knowledge of degree programs. Salary depends on education and experience, which is $42,393 per year.
3. Superintendent
A superintendent serves as the senior leader of a school district. They supervise the principal and district staff and work with board members to oversee various institution-associated operations.
Hiring staff and gathering resources that prevent the school from crumbling fall under the superintendent’s responsibility.
In case of an emergency, like handling personal school matters, safety concerns, and workplace injuries, a superintendent steps in to make decisions accordingly.
Establishing a healthy professional relationship with parents, district employees, and school board members is one of the roles a superintendent has to fulfill.
Solid interpersonal skills are the key to forming these relationships and distinguishing a qualified superintendent from the rest.
Their duty typically begins early in the morning and concludes by attending meetings in the afternoon or evening.
The requirements for a superintendent position include a doctorate in education and years of progressive experience as an academic leader.
A superintendent’s salary depends on several factors, including the school district’s size, experience, accomplishments, and job location. Their salary is high if they work in a densely populated metropolitan area or a large school district.
4. Curriculum Developer
An individual working as a curriculum developer creates and updates the curriculum for all types of educational institutions.
These professionals work closely with the subject expert to determine the topics that should be taught, gather relevant material, and develop teaching methodologies.
Aside from designing courses, curriculum developers also work on creating assessments that measure student progress throughout the academic year.
These assessments are conducted through written exams and oral presentations or projects.
They primarily work with teachers to find areas for improvement with the help of data analysis from surveys. Curriculum developers ensure that are no obstacles when enhancing learners’ knowledge.
That said, teachers have all the tools, from lesson plans to homework assignments, to use in the classroom. Guidelines are also prepared for the teaching staff to ascertain they don’t deviate from the curriculum.
Training a curriculum developer includes providing a manual or shadowing current curriculum developers. The average salary of a developer ranges from $42,000-$75,000.
5. Special Education Teacher
A special education teacher is a highly trained professional responsible for overseeing the education of students with emotional and physical disabilities. The teachers create a learning environment catering to every disabled student’s academic needs.
Special education teachers provide all the necessary resources that help disabled students succeed and enable them to serve society.
Unlike traditional teaching methodology, a special education educator develops and adapts individualized teaching methods that create ease of learning for these students.
Aside from teaching, an educator assesses every student’s progress and implements the required course of action accordingly.
The transition to practical life is nothing short of a feat for disabled children, which is why a special education teacher’s role significantly impacts their lives.
The teacher and the parent’s coordination ensure that the next phase of the child’s life is less complicated. Salary is determined based on qualifications and experience in the field.
Conclusion
Besides upholding an institution’s standard and name, an exceptional educational leader ensures that every student has what it takes to face challenges and succeed in life.
Strong educational leadership involves having a vision and a plan to accomplish goals valuable to a community’s prosperity.
Effective leadership is leading by example, and those who do so are always at the receiving end of respect and admiration, without which one cannot inspire others.
Finding and living up to a particular role is a sure way to impact those around you positively.
