Education Administrator
Comprehensive Sites
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Education AdministratorThe many requirements needed to become an educational administrator are discussed at this site, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. Information on career preparation, job pay, and sources of further information on related careers is offered, as well as work environment, education, and training required. Links available to projected employment, and to the latest local earnings data.
National Center for Education StatisticsThis site offers a wealth of information for teachers or students wanting to become a teacher or school administrator. From here, you can connect to comprehensive information on the public elementary and secondary school data system, which contains snapshots of information relating to all education. Search for various school districts, find a college navigator, search for private schools, or access the K-12 practitioners’ circle.
Princeton Review: School AdministratorThis all-in-one resource offers information on a day in the life of a school administrator, such as the challenges, rewards, and professional responsibilities. Education, associated careers, facts and figures regarding salary and employment, and links to information on colleges, internships, and graduate school are available.
U.S. Department of Education: Lead and Manage My SchoolResources for school administrators are collected at this site, including accountability and assessment, schools in need of improvement, academic subjects, character education, and strengthening teacher quality. You will also find videos, slideshows, and tools for proven teacher practice, as well as the “What Works Clearinghouse,” containing scientific evidence of what works in education.
Occupational Titles
Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program
Education administrators, elementary and secondary school
Education administrators, postsecondary
Admissions Coordinator
Dean
Director of Admissions
Education Director
Director of Education
Director of Advancement Services
Headmaster
Principal
Provost
Accredited Academic Programs
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher EducationThis organization collects information on standards for public institutions and also has program reviews and state-by-state information on accredited institutions. There are many ways to become a teacher, which is often a pre-requisite for an administrator, and this site will inform you, not just about the traditional certification processes, but also the non-traditional routes. State protocols, job vacancies, and plenty of teacher education links are available.
Princeton Review: School Administrator, College MajorsA variety of college majors would be good choices if you want to become a school administrator, and this list provides you with a lengthy list of them. Click on your selection to be brought to a list of colleges and universities across the U.S. that offers your selected major. Access these schools individual websites for more program information directly from this site.
Salary Levels
PayScale: Education AdministratorThis site offers a salary report for education administrators, K-12, across the U.S., as well as further information on salary according to employer type. You can also access links to information on salary by gender, certification, or the state you might be employed in.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Salaries of College AdministratorsWith a focus on higher education, this table displays median salary figures of administrators by job title, institution, and educational level.
Professional Organizations
American Association of School AdministratorsThis professional organization for school leaders offers a career center at a link from the left side of the page. You can also find articles focusing on the needs of children, a newsroom, a publications connection, and connections to related state associations.
National Association of Elementary School PrincipalsThis organization provides resources to would-be elementary and middle school principals and administrators, with the goals of advancing the profession and creating strong educator leadership. Research resources from experts, a helpline and mentoring center, professional development resources, and community and student services are offered.
National Education AssociationThe National Education Association includes sub-sites for both teachers and students aspiring to go into the education field. Go to the link for college students and find information on relevant news in the field, book discounts, and articles on salary, studying to become a teacher, and toolkit discounts for student members. A map at the site offers instant beginning salary information for each state.
The National Association of Secondary School PrincipalsA salary survey is displayed at this site’s home page, as well as links to a knowledge center, school improvement initiative, professional development resources, and tools for educators. Interesting articles talk about the strategies that lead to a balanced and successful life as a high school administrator, and best practices in schools are offered.
Job Opportunity Sources
American Association of School Administrators: Career CenterCareer resources and employment opportunities are collected at this page, which provides a job bulletin, the ability for members to create a job-seekers account, create a personal job alert, and post your resume.
Chronicle CareersThe job search tool here offers a listing of jobs for leaders in higher education across the country. Directors, coordinators, and other administrative positions are listed, and you can sort them by state or institution to get an idea of the opportunities you may eventually seek.
National Association of Elementary School Principals: Career CentralServing elementary and middle school principals, this site provides a job seekers section, which provides a free service for employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
National Association of Independent Educators: NAIS Career CenterThe career center here is from resources collected from the foremost organization on private school education. If you are looking for an opportunity as a private school teacher, you can search for jobs, find articles about working at a private school, and find a listing of teacher search firms, all for free.
U.S. Department of Education: Teaching OpportunitiesState-by-state information on charter schools, a school locator, a transition program for recent college grads, and the Troops-to-Teacher Program are all described at this site’s links. You can also access a greater list of assorted opportunities by category and title.
Licensing & Certification
Certification Requirements for 50 StatesThis site provides direct links to teacher certification requirements for all 50 states—certification which is usually necessary to become a school administrator. Choose your state and be taken directly to the home page of licensing and credentialing requirements. These sites will also offer details on the steps to certification, types of certificates, alternative routes, and provisional teaching, where applicable.
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and CertificationThis organization sets the standards used by most states for administrator certification. The site includes a clearinghouse of information, including the Knowledge Base portal, which will provide you with certification requirements for all 50 states, listings of colleges and universities in the U.S. with approved professional preparation programs, professional practice, and links to resources that are additionally valuable within each jurisdiction.
Publications
American Association of School Administrators: PublicationsThis publications connection provides access to journals and magazines, as well as publications and toolkits of the organization. An online library, books for school leaders, and learning news are found. Some publications are online at no cost, and some require a membership in the organization. If you are interested, you can take advantage of the “aspiring school system leader” membership at a low cost.
Chronicle of Higher EducationThis online publication offers today’s news in the field of education, special issue coverage and data, and departments in information technology, government and politics, students, athletics, and other issues of concern to education administration. The site also has a host of blogs, with up-to-the-minute news and views.
Education WeekEducation Week contains an enormous amount of information for the would-be educator, including national news, online videos, topics in health, special education, and curriculum, blogs, chats, and transcripts, and plenty of free web learning conferences.
Independent School MagazineThe information available at this site includes details about article contents, such as building a nation of readers the influence that teachers can have on their student and other topics of interest to teachers.
Pathways to School ImprovementThis publication focuses on policy and research of issues of importance to educational administrators. Departmental topics address assessment, at-risk student identification, family, instruction, leadership, literacy, professional development, and technology in the classroom.
Principal MagazineThis award-winning publication has several sites available to the public, where you can preview articles about how school administrators lead and improve the schools they work in. Research, columns, web exclusives, and humor are all part of this publication.
U.S. Department of Education: EdPubsThis collection of publications may be useful in your future, as it helps you identify and order free or low cost publications in the field of education. More than 6,000 titles are available, including brochures, CD-ROMs, newsletters, and research reports. You can locate publications by audience type, education level, language, or subject, or view the list of the top 10 publications. This is a great resource for new teachers or students about to enter the field.
Online Forums & Blogs
Chronicle Careers: Links to Academic BlogsDiscussions of academic life, careers, and the job market are contained at the numerous blogs available from this page, sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Education Week: BlogsBlogs at this site are combined from Teacher Magazine and Edweek.org and include the impact of politics on K-12 education, exploration of learning innovations, starting out as a teacher, and tapping into the gifted child. If you go to BlogBoard, you’ll find “new and noteworthy” blogs that are really up-to-date.
The Principals OfficeThis award-winning principals’ blog brings together educators in a space where they can discuss the most pressing issues that teachers and administrators face. Archived blogs can be accessed, as well as recent posts, or posts by topic.
Career Videos
Chronicle Multimedia VideoThe videos at this page of The Chronicle of Higher Education offer coverage of important and current issues to administrators on college campuses. You will also find an assortment of podcasts, audio resources, and photo gallery at this multimedia site.
CollegeGrad.com: Education AdministratorsAt CollegeGrad video, you will find out about the leadership and management roles that administrators play across all levels of education. The skills needed for this job, education and academic experience, and their contribution to the community are introduced.
Ed.gov: Doing What Works VideoA video introduces research-based practices and the “Doing What Works” website for educators. Examples from practitioners that may be useful in overcoming challenges and achieve results are discussed in empowering administrators to take action.
TeacherTubeLesson plans, student video lessons, and teacher videos are available at TeacherTube, a large online collection of videos just for teaching. The most popular videos can be accessed, as well as most discussed and top-rated. Teacher Tube blogs, groups, and channels on different aspects of teaching are available. On the video search, type in the keywords for the type of career information you are interested in.