Preparing Administrative Educators for Exceptional Leadership
Jessup’s School of Education prepares educators for leadership roles so they can reach with compassion, teach with excellence, and learn for lifelong impact. For 16 years, we have offered an exceptional teaching credential program through our School of Education. We are excited to announce that the School of Education will begin offering a leadership option to the community.
After two years of dreaming and preparing, students now have the option to receive a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. This credential, coupled with the MAEd, equips graduates to become administrators in schools and districts and to work in public and private educational organizations.
“Public and private school administrators have significant influence and impact on the educational environment,” said Nathan Herzog, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education. “It is critical that we have ethical leaders in our schools to maintain healthy and safe environments.”
The program is designed to emphasize the importance of both research and practice. Graduate students participate in the field and through scenarios. The program also equips graduate students with the knowledge and skills they need to become both servant leaders and transformational leaders. As a faith-based institution, Jessup is in a unique position to speak into all aspects of leadership development and produce effective administrators in educational environments.
“We believe effective leaders are servant-leaders and they must understand the human condition to be able to effectively meet the needs of those they serve,” said Herzog.
Mentorship is a critical aspect of this program. The mentorship, academic preparation, and leadership development within this program provides credential candidates with knowledge, skills, and character needed to become effective transformational leaders within an educational context.
“The small class sizes at Jessup ensure that candidates will receive incredible access and support from the faculty they work with,” said Patrick McDougall, MAEd Administrative Credential Program Chair. “The average cohort within the MAEd program has 12 students and this creates a powerful context for teaching and learning.”
The program also provides field experience and scenarios that produce graduates who are practitioners. We want Administrative Credential graduates to be able to ask good questions and conduct sound research that is informed by scholarship and reliable data. The administrative credential program is designed to place candidates in authentic situations similar to what they might face in the field. The program helps students develop the skills, professional dispositions, and competencies they will need to provide exceptional leadership for the students and staff they will serve.
Jessup firmly believes MAEd Administrative Credential graduates will significantly influence the leadership and thought culture within the administration of educational organizations. Through the scholar/practitioner model, students will be uniquely prepared for the challenges they will face when they assume leadership roles within the school system.
