Education Administration

Teaching is very much required for educating the children of our nation but teaching would not be of much use if a proper administration is not there. So education administration plays a vital role in the sector of education. Education administrators develop the curricula which are to be adopted in the schools, establish important policies and procedures, build business partnership, and manage educational institutes. Like we manage our business, they ensure proper management of schools and handle budgetary issues, allocate the resources and also deal with the government and the regulatory agencies.

Education administrators hold posts of a principal, assistant principal, head of the department, dean, superintendent or school board member. All the above posts play a very important role in guiding the schools of our nation. Education administrators are generally not involved in classroom teachings but they play a very essential role in directing the school to attain the overall goals.

Starting from the preschool level to the college level, educational administrators handle all the behind-the-scenes procedures and policies for the smooth running of the educational institutions. Since educational administrators execute so many important duties and are the key to success of any educational organization, they must have a sound educational background. They require a good teaching background coupled with an advanced degree in education administration. This kind of program builds up your teaching skills and also trains you in the field of curriculum-building, educational psychology, public policy, budgeting, management and some legal issues. The programs in educational administration prepare you to operate educational institutions successfully and smoothly. With a degree in educational administration you get a very good career start and advance by earning leadership positions. Education administrators are no doubt paid more than a teacher. 

The job of an educational administrator is to develop programs that stay in compliance with the standards for attaining educational excellence. They also oversee the budget that is required by educational institutions and monitor the performance of students and the performance of the institution. At different levels their roles are also different. At the level of K-12 they work as school principals and program directors, at the level of postsecondary they work as academic deans, departmental heads, and registrars and also as directors. For taking part in educational leadership and administration one needs to have a master’s degree with extensive experience. Candidates aspiring for the program in educational leadership and administration should already have a Doctoral degree in a specialized field. Since educational administrators are so very important, their demand is rising day by day and so the job prospects are excellent in this field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that most of the educational administrators start their career as teachers and then move up the ladder by getting a master’s degree or a doctoral degree. There are some teachers who gain experience before moving up the administration ladder by working in limited positions like that of an assistant principal.

A candidate aspiring for the post of an education administrator needs to have a teaching experience and also an advanced degree in educational administration. The job opportunities for the post of public school principal and also for the post of assistant principal is expected to be excellent over the next few years with the retirement of old administrators and the increasing responsibilities of the position. The educational administration jobs should grow by 8 percent between the years 2008 and 2018. This occupation is growing at a good rate. The retirements in industries and fewer applications for administrative positions will create more opportunities for the field of educational administration.

The tasks of education administrators include recruitment of staffs; supervising the staffs, give proper discipline to the students, communication with the parents, and preparing the budget. They make sure that the educational institutions are providing proper and high quality education to all the students. The job of an education administrator is not easy and the administrators have to face a lot of challenges. So they need to have good leadership qualities and interpersonal and communication skills. Sometimes in adverse situations where there is a lot of responsibility and very less resources, the administrators need to think of innovative strategies, juggle with the competing priorities and likewise make the decision. They also need to motivate their staff and students to do well. The degree of education administration will provide you with good knowledge in the fields of management and education, which is very much required for running an educational institution effectively. Thus the success of the educational institutions, students and teachers are very much in the hands of education administrators.