2018-2019

Educational Leadership - Principal K-12, Master of Education

Department of Educational Leadership

College of Education

This Master's degree is designed to prepare students to qualify to serve as school principals (K-12). 

This program is nationally recognized by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC).

This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

  • To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.

    You must additionally complete:

    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
    • All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
    • All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.

    Read the full policy here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.

Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, and professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):

Minimum Units for Completion 36
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Required
Arizona Certification/Endorsement

Prepares student for Arizona Certification and/or Endorsement.
Progression Plan Link View Program of Study

Purpose 

The purpose of the Master's Degree in Educational Leadership, Principal K-12 program is to prepare its participants to qualify to serve as a K-12 school principal.  The thirty-six credits required to complete this program include courses that translate theory into practice as the role of the school principal, educational research, instructional planning, supervision of instruction, personnel administration, publicity and politics, leadership skills, critical issues, school funding and school law are examined.  The program also includes an internship in a school where participants will apply what they have learned in their courses.  Following completion of the MED Ed. Leadership-Principal K-12 program participants will receive an Institutional Recommendation and may apply for state certification as a K-12 principal.  Unfortunately, the success rate for Indian administrators graduating from the current program has not been without concern and problems mainly from Indian school superintendents and their school boards. These new courses were developed based on these concerns regarding a lack of emphasis on leadership skills they felt were missing and needing attention. For example, they believe that the 60% turn-over rate of principals is directly related to inadequate preparation. Causes often mentioned for the high attrition included not understanding their roles, lacking knowledge how to deal with the contentious and challenging work climate, not knowing the culture, administrators unwilling to be involved in tribal-community functions, and a lack of knowledge and expertise to work effectively in a tribal-school setting. These new courses will link cultural knowledge originating in tribal communities to the EDL principal curriculum. Leadership fields recommended to be included in the curriculum include the role of education in tribal nation building; tribal leadership beliefs; communication and leadership styles of Indian school boards and Indian educators; appropriate communication with parents, elders, and community leaders; accountability practices by parents and Indian school boards; managing tribal language and culture programs; tribal expectations of young men and women in leadership roles; attitudes toward non-tribal members in positions of leadership; school-tribal/community development; tribal education codes including the cross-jurisdictional tribal, state and federal education laws; Indian preference in hiring practices; tribal labor relations; tribal cultural decision-making; Diné Education Standards; attributes of power structures found in tribal communities; institutional racism; and issues of social justice, equity and inequality from a tribal perspective. Through incorporating these and other topics into the courses, students will not just understand the school-leadership dynamics in a tribal community, they will know how and when to use them, and able to monitor the impact of the leadership decisions they make on the education values and beliefs of the tribal community.

Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC), and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC).
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by collaboratively facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a shared school vision of learning through the collection and use of data to identify school goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and implement school plans to achieve school goals; promotion of continual and sustainable school improvement; and evaluation of school progress and revision of school plans supported by school-based stakeholders.

  • Candidates understand and can collaboratively develop, articulate, implement, and steward a shared vision of learning for a school.
  • Candidates understand and can collect and use data to identify school goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and implement plans to achieve school goals.
  • Candidates understand and can promote continual and sustainable school improvement.
  • Candidates understand and can evaluate school progress and revise school plans supported by school stakeholders.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning through collaboration, trust, and a personalized learning environment with high expectations for students; creating and evaluating a comprehensive, rigorous and coherent curricular and instructional school program; developing and supervising the instructional and leadership capacity of school staff; and promoting the most effective and appropriate technologies to support teaching and learning within a school environment.
  • Candidates understand and can sustain a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning through collaboration, trust, and a personalized learning environment with high expectations for students.
  • Candidates understand and can create and evaluate a comprehensive, rigorous, and coherent curricular and instructional school program.
  • Candidates understand and can develop and supervise the instructional and leadership capacity of school staff.
  • Candidates understand and can promote the most effective and appropriate technologies to support teaching and learning in a school environment.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by ensuring the management of the school organization, operation, and resources through monitoring and evaluating the school management and operational systems; efficiently using human, fiscal, and technological resources in a school environment; promoting and protecting the welfare and safety of school students and staff; developing school capacity for distributed leadership; and ensuring that teacher and organizational time is focused to support high-quality instruction and student learning.
  • Candidates understand and can monitor and evaluate school management and operational systems.
  • Candidates understand and can efficiently use human, fiscal, and technological resources to manage school operations.
  • Candidates understand and can promote school-based policies and procedures that protect the welfare and safety of students and staff within the school.
  • Candidates understand and can develop school capacity for distributed leadership.
  • Candidates understand and can ensure teacher and organizational time focuses on supporting high-quality school instruction and student learning.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources on behalf of the school by collecting and analyzing information pertinent to improvement of the school’s educational environment; promoting an understanding, appreciation, and use of the diverse cultural, social, and intellectual resources within the school community; building and sustaining positive school relationships with families and caregivers; and cultivating productive school relationships with community partners.
  • Candidates understand and can collaborate with faculty and community members by collecting and analyzing information pertinent to the improvement of the school’s educational environment.
  • Candidates understand and can mobilize community resources by promoting an understanding, appreciation, and use of diverse cultural, social, and intellectual resources within the school community.
  • Candidates understand and can respond to community interests and needs by building and sustaining positive school relationships with families and caregivers.
  • Candidates understand and can respond to community interests and needs by building and sustaining productive school relationships with community partners.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner to ensure a school system of accountability for every student’s academic and social success by modeling school principles of self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior as related to their roles within the school; safeguarding the values of democracy, equity, and diversity within the school; evaluating the potential moral and legal consequences of decision making in the school; and promoting social justice within the school to ensure that individual student needs inform all aspects of schooling.
  • Candidates understand and can act with integrity and fairness to ensure a school system of accountability for every student’s academic and social success.
  • Candidates understand and can model principles of self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior as related to their roles within the school.
  • Candidates understand and can safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity within the school.
  • Candidates understand and can evaluate the potential moral and legal consequences of decision making in the school.
  • Candidates understand and can promote social justice within the school to ensure that individual student needs inform all aspects of schooling.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context through advocating for school students, families, and caregivers; acting to influence local, district, state, and national decisions affecting student learning in a school environment; and anticipating and assessing emerging trends and initiatives in order to adapt school-based leadership strategies.
  • Candidates understand and can advocate for school students, families, and caregivers.
  • Candidates understand and can act to influence local, district, state, and national decisions affecting student learning in a school environment.
  • Candidates understand and can anticipate and assess emerging trends and initiatives in order to adapt
  • school-based leadership strategies.
 
A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the success of every student through a substantial and sustained educational leadership internship experience that has school-based field experiences and clinical internship practice within a school setting and is monitored by a qualified, on-site mentor.
  • Substantial Field and Clinical Internship Experience: The program provides significant field experiences and clinical internship practice for candidates within a school environment to synthesize and apply the content knowledge and develop professional skills identified in the other Educational Leadership Building-Level Program Standards through authentic, school-based leadership experiences. Information should be provided in Section IV, Assessment 4 to address this standard.
  • Sustained Internship Experience: Candidates are provided a six-month, concentrated (9–12 hours per week) internship that includes field experiences within a school-based environment. Information should be provided in Section I (Context), question 2, to address this standard.
  • Qualified On-Site Mentor: An on-site school mentor who has demonstrated experience as an educational leader within a school and is selected collaboratively by the intern and program faculty with training by the supervising institution.

Additional Admission Requirements

  • Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

  • The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.

    Admission requirements include the following:

    • Transcripts.
    • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.


    Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.

    Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

    International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

    • Teaching certificate (standard or provisional)
    • Full SEI endorsement before completion of program
Master's Requirements

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.