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CAGS in Educational Leadership / School Administration
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Credits for Licensure:
36-38
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Degree:
CAGS in Educational Leadership
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Program Approved:
Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education
Program Description
The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Educational Leadership is a post-master’s option designed for educators to advance their knowledge and skills specific to leadership in P-12 schools and districts. The focus is to advance teaching and learning through school transformation, with a concentration in school administration or curriculum. The program is based on standards upheld by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council and follows the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Professional Standards for Administrators. Emphasis is on the role power and politics play in schools and districts with a focus on social justice, along with research skills and data analysis required to support and advance caring, competent, and qualified teachers and school leaders who create rigorous and culturally responsive teaching and learning environments.
All students who enter CAGS must select a concentration and type/level of licensure if desired, and submit a signed Declaration of Intent by the end of their first term of enrollment. All students must consult the program chair and have their approval prior to submitting the Declaration of Intent.
Please note: At Cambridge College locations outside of Massachusetts, this program is currently non-licensure only.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates: (a) demonstrate a knowledge of and sensitivity to school and system organization; (b) understand that improving teaching and learning is an intricate process that requires a willingness to change, an educational vision, and persuasive communication; (c) pursue action research and data collection to inform decision making and create meaningful professional development for faculty; and (d) explore technology, inclusive strategies for reaching a diverse student body, and develop skills in teaching students with special needs and those for whom English is a second language. As a result of evidence-based instruction and culturally responsive teaching and learning, graduates perceive their educational setting as part of a larger system and are able to identify and end historic patterns of racial inequity within that system. They effectively implement plans, procedures, routines, budgets, and operating systems, including technology, that are equitable and honor all students' backgrounds, eliminate bias, and address the full range of safety, health, and social-emotional needs of students.
Careers
Graduates enter into the full range of school leadership positions in public, private, and charter schools and in corporate and community education. Positions held include teacher-leaders, department chairs, assistant principal, and principal. In addition, graduates hold offices at the district level as coordinators and directors.
An administrator license is required for employment half-time or more as director, department head, or curriculum specialist.
For more information, please contact Admissions at 1-800-829-4723.
Curriculum
Term 1
9
Credits
Program Portfolio Integration
EED 735
Students are required to enroll in this 0-credit course during the first semester of their program experience. Enrollment in this 0-credit course activates student access to the Tevera portfolio which facilities the tracking and storage of essential documents required for program completion.
Foundations of Social Science Research
ECL 800 • 3 credit(s)
The information in this course supports the research design and analysis of data for completion of the Action Research Project. The emphasis is on familiarizing students with methods of research and data analysis. Examples of quantitative and qualitative methods are presented. Students explore techniques used in the identification of research problems, the formulation of hypotheses, the construction and use of data-gathering instruments, the design of research studies, and utilization of statistical procedures. Students will learn commonly used statistical procedures, including introductory computer applications for data analysis. Each student designs an Action Research Project which includes: identifying a topic relevant to his or her field, conducting a literature review, and writing an introduction, a purpose statement, method and procedure. School administrators write a school improvement plan. Special educators write a program implementation plan. Professionals in curriculum and instruction develop a curriculum development plan. Pre-practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Structural and Institutional Barriers to Equality in Education
ECA 725 • 3 credit(s)
This course examines the structural barriers and institutional practices in schools that have helped to create and sustain socioeconomic inequality and educational inequities. Through readings and discussions, students closely assess past and current education policies based on stated aims and observable outcomes. Emphasis is placed on understanding social and ideological factors that shape American education in ways that are inconsistent with the democratic aspirations of America’s founding documents and education reformers’ rhetoric.
School Management and the Law
ECA 701 • 3 credit(s)
This course focuses on the understanding of the local, state and federal laws which guide the successful administration and management of a comprehensive school system including fiscal responsibilities and collaborative structures. Attention is also paid to federal and state laws and issues associated with collective bargaining. Particular emphasis is given to Massachusetts laws relevant to education including the Education Reform Act of 1993, NCLB, its revisions and other such laws. Students will examine legal issues to develop understandings and skills needed to be an effective school administrator during these times of challenging change. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Term 2
9
Credits
Advanced Graduate Research Seminar
ECL 801 • 3 credit(s)
Prerequisite ECL800. Students begin implementing their research designs that were created and approved in ECL800. They systematically organize inquiries demonstrating connections between theory and professional practice in an organization or school setting. Students design and implement quantitative and/or qualitative research methodologies as they apply research theory to gathering, analyzing, and summarizing data that will inform policy and leadership decision-making in the workplace. Students receive ongoing support during research and have a learning environment that helps them develop their projects successfully. This seminar serves as a learning lab, allowing students to experience peer learning and support. Students discuss their research designs, share resources, questions, ideas, and concerns, and sense one another’s progress. Students complete a culminating capstone learning project in the form of an Action Research Project or a program evaluation. Capstone projects are presented to the class for review.
Advanced Leadership
ECL 802 • 3 credit(s)
This advanced leadership issues course merges leadership theory with practice to examine leadership roles in educational settings. Using case studies and problem-solving techniques, students actively examine a wide variety of current leadership issues that impact the ability of educational institutions to fulfill their public trust. State and professional educational leadership standards are examined. Topics include practical considerations of collective bargaining, managing student and staff diversity, budgeting, legal issues, and implementing school reforms from the perspective of an educational leader. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Managing Financial Resources
ECA 703 • 3 credit(s)
This course focuses on fiscal management issues in schools and school systems. Specific topics include financial accounting, preparation and interpretation of financial statements, financial analysis and accounting, budgeting, cost containment, and strategic planning. Proposition 2 1/2 of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts foundation budget process and such financial support structures and funding formulas will also be examined. The financing of charter, choice and voucher programs will be studied as well as importance of and the methods for addressing issues of plant and equipment maintenance. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Term 3
12-14
Credits
SEI705 required only if needed.
Practicum Prerequisites
- Signed acknowledgement of area/level of licensure sought
- Successful completion of all courses with a grade of “B” or better.
- Unless evidence is submitted that the SEI RETELL or SEI MTEL was successfully completed prior to program admission, all candidates must take the SEI 705 Sheltered English Immersion for School Administrators.
- Pre-Practicum logs documenting hours embedded in courses appropriate to the area of licensure.
Practicum I: register for the appropriate license/level.
Advanced Technologies in Education
ECL 803 • 3 credit(s)
This course focuses on the impact of a worldwide information intensive society on education policy and planning. Students study practical and theoretical issues pertaining to educational technologies. The course surveys practical applications for managing organizational information systems and databases. From a theoretical perspective, it focuses on using new technologies to serve various pedagogical philosophies and the impact of new technologies on instructional design, teaching and school reform. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Advanced Leadership in Policy and Practice
ECL 804 • 3 credit(s)
This course explores the educational policy making process at the federal, state and local level. Students examine the educational leader’s role in policy design, advocacy and formulation. Simulations and scenarios from class members, practitioners and research are used to inform the creation of educational policy in complex situations involving competing constituencies. Leadership skills are challenged by the opposing perceptions of stakeholders vying for scarce resources and by the need to identify an appropriate theoretical context from which to work toward policy formation to solve problems. Students gain skills in identifying educational issues in the context of practical problems, and to strategize, implement, and assess policy outcomes that directly impact teaching and learning environments. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Supervision of Sheltered English Immersion Instruction for Administrators
SEI 705 • 2 credit(s)
Participants in the Cambridge College Administrator License program will be prepared to effectively serve English language learner students (ELLs). Participating students will be knowledgeable and able to administer, supervise and promote effective classroom strategies that maximize learning for ELLs. Participants in the Cambridge College Administrator License program will evidence an understanding of major trends in the twenty-first century language teaching and recognize the domains of listening, speaking, reading, writing and form focused instruction (grammar) for ELLs.
Assessment, Developing and Evaluating Curriculum
ECC 710 • 3 credit(s)
All educational leaders regardless of their position within a school system should have the ability to lead instruction. This course provides a better understanding and practices related to the real-world application of instructional leadership in regard to curriculum. The course strengthens the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of educators as instructional leaders, and provides practice in identifying and researching current and emerging curricular issues. Beginning with the premise that instructional leaders are essential in creating thoughtful learning communities of adults and students, this course focuses on the standards of leadership, models of curriculum designs that promote achievement for all students, data to inform decisions about instruction, and current issues that impact teaching and learning. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Practicum I: Principal/Asst Principal (PreK-8) 300 of 500 hours)
ECA 805H • 3 credit(s)
This is the first of two courses, a 300-hour (500 total) supervised practicum in a school setting under the guidance of a practitioner and a college supervisor. This practicum allows for the development of administrator competencies specific to the principal/assistant principal position at the PreK-8 of the educational system. The practicum provides opportunity for experienced professionals to become fully immersed in examining how theory and practice interact in school administration at the district level and its relationship to and impact on state, district, and school policies and practices. Attendance at four seminar sessions in each semester is required during the practicum. The seminars, combined with the field experience, focus on current issues in the students’ practicum sites and specifically on issues of the principalship. An Exit Performance Portfolio documents the experiences. Evaluation is based on current standards for licensure.
Practicum I: Principal/Assistant Principal (5-12) 300 of 500 hours
ECA 805J • 3 credit(s)
This is the first of two courses, a 300-hour (500 total) supervised practicum in a school setting under the guidance of a practitioner and a college supervisor. This practicum allows for the development of administrator competencies specific to the principal/assistant principal at the 5-12 level of the educational system. The practicum provides opportunity for experienced professionals to become fully immersed in examining how theory and practice interact in school administration at the 5-12 level and its relationship to and impact on state, district, and school policies and practices. Attendance at four seminar sessions in each semester is required during the practicum. The seminars, combined with the field experience, focus on current issues in the students’ practicum sites and specifically on issues of the principalship. An Exit Performance Portfolio documents the experiences. Evaluation is based on current standards for licensure.
Term 4
6
Credits
Applied Action Research Project: Educational Leadership
ECL 807 • 1 credit(s)
This course, taken in the student’s last term, requires the student to complete the Action Research Project, program implementation or curriculum development plan and present the results in a public presentation to students.
Leading Educational Change and School Renewal
ECC 707 • 3 credit(s)
This course focuses on the theory/practice of continuing school renewal and educational change. Emphasis is placed on building collaborative relationships necessary to plan, implement, and manage significant school change that leads to improved teaching and learning. In introducing change as an essential quality of healthy learning organizations, students study reform and change models, while learning how to build strong teams within the school and community that lead to equitable and excellent outcomes for all stakeholders. Practicum hours of directed field-based training required.
Practicum II: Principal/Asst Principal (PreK-8) 200 of 500 hours
ECA 806H • 2 credit(s)
This is the second of two courses, a 200-hour (500 total) supervised practicum in a school setting under the guidance of a practitioner and college supervisor. This practicum allows the development of administrator competencies specific to the principal/assistant principal position at all levels at the PreK-8 level. The practicum provides opportunity for experienced professionals to become fully immersed in examining how theory and practice interact in school administration at the district level and its relationship to and impact on state, district, and school policies and practices. Attendance at four seminar sessions in each semester is required during the practicum. The seminars, combined with the field experience, focus on current issues in the students’ practicum sites and specifically on issues of the principalship. An Exit Performance Portfolio documents the experience. Evaluation is based on current standards for licensure.
Practicum II: Principal/Asst Principal (5-12) 200 of 500 hours
ECA 806J • 2 credit(s)
This is the second of two courses, a 200-hour (500 total) supervised practicum in a school setting under the guidance of a practitioner and college supervisor This practicum allows the development of administrator competencies specific to the principal/assistant principal position at the 5-12 level of the educational system. The practicum provides opportunity for experienced professionals to become fully immersed in examining how theory and practice interact in school administration at the 5-12 level and its relationship to and impact on state, district, and school policies and practices. Attendance at four seminar sessions each semester is required during the practicum. The seminars, combined with the field experience, focus on current issues in the students’ practicum sites and specifically on issues of the principalship.
Admissions
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Admission Test:
No standardized graduate school tests required for admission into non-licensure programs
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Admissions Office:
1-800-829-4723
- Application Form:
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Application Fee:
$50 ($100 for international students)
Program Requirements
Principal/Assistant Principal License - Three full years of employment in an executive management/leadership role or in a supervisory, teaching, or administrative role in a public school, private school, higher education, or other educational setting accepted by ESE. The required employment must be documented by official letter(s) from supervisor or human resources director.
Health Requirements for Massachusetts Students
The Massachusetts Health Department and Cambridge College require the following of students in Massachusetts:
Immunizations – All students in Massachusetts are required to get certain immunizations before you can register for your first term. See form
Health Insurance – In Massachusetts, undergraduate students taking nine or more credits/term and graduate students taking six or more credits/term must enroll in the College’s health insurance plan. Students who have insurance with comparable coverage may request a waiver. See information and enroll or waive.
School Requirements
International Students
International students need to provide supplemental documentation:
- Official demonstration of English language proficiency
- Supplemental documentation for issuance of I-20
- International transcripts, evaluated by an accepted evaluation service
Transfer Credit
Please complete the transfer credit request form if you wish to have prior course work evaluated for transfer. Learn more about transferring credits.
Tuition
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Credits for Licensure:
36-38
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Cost per credit hour:
$806
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Application Fee:
$50 ($100 for international students)
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Health Insurance Fee:
$3,940 - Required for Massachusetts students only. See waiver details on Tuition & Fees page.)
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Internship/Practicum Fee:
$400
Note: Rates are as of July, 2022, and are subject to change without notice. Rates apply to all students, unless otherwise noted.
Financial Aid
Cambridge College offers financial aid to students in our degree programs who are enrolled at least half time. Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits each term. Graduate and doctoral students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits each term. Learn more
Grants, Scholarships and Loans
Cambridge College welcomes the opportunity to support your efforts to pay for college. Federal, state and local resources in the form of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study, including Cambridge College Scholarships, are available to help defray the cost of tuition. Learn more
Getting Your Company to Help
Many companies have tuition assistance programs, designed to help their employees with their professional development. Learn more
Take the Next Step Toward Your Advanced Graduate Certificate
Take the Next Step Toward Your Advanced Graduate Certificate
