USC Online Program Prepares Principals and School Leaders

New Master of Education Program Blends Cutting-Edge Digital Platform with School-Based Fieldwork

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education is preparing to launch its new Master of Education in School Leadership program for experienced teachers who want to enter school-level leadership roles, develop skills most valued by K-12 superintendents, and learn to solve authentic problems in real school sites.

The 15-month program's first cohorts will begin in January and September 2013. The immersive online platform, which was first leveraged by USC Rossier's highly successful online Master of Arts in Teaching program, allows full-time working professionals to participate in live, face-to-face online class sessions during the evening hours. The program also features compelling, richly produced self-paced course materials, and an online social networking environment that allows students to interact with instructors and classmates.

The Master of Education in School Leadership program's innovative curriculum was developed under the leadership of USC Rossier Professor Darline Robles, former superintendent of Los Angeles County Office of Education, who engaged a team of education experts nationwide in creating a professional preparation program that focuses the skills, competencies, and dispositions exhibited by highly effective school leaders. These efforts resulted in a thoughtfully integrated curriculum, which challenges students to critically examine contemporary issues, develop effective sustainable school leadership strategies, and gain conceptual, organizational, political, and leadership skills.

"Students in the program will gain knowledge and skills that reflect training at the forefront of the best research and practices in the field and reflect what school superintendents expect from exceptional principals," Robles said.

A defining feature of the program is a capstone experience, through which students will design and implement an improvement plan in response to a problem or challenge at their school site. In collaboration with colleagues and administrative leaders at the site, students will identify a problem, gather and analyze related data, and develop an action plan that addresses the root causes and engages key stakeholders toward a meaningful and sustainable solution. With this experience under their belt and an action plan in hand, graduates of the program will be poised to enter significant leadership roles and apply their skills, knowledge, and strategies to tackle the challenges that vex public education.

Upon receiving approval from the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC), the ME in School Leadership was commended for its curriculum coherence and its use of the Cognitive Task Analysis model in developing a course scope and sequence that facilitates the acquisition, mastery, and application of skills and knowledge throughout the program.

The Master of Education in School Leadership program is currently awaiting approval from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) as a qualifying degree for the California Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, which eligible candidates may pursue after the completion of the program.

For more information about the Master of Education in School Leadership program at USC Rossier School of Education, contact [email protected] or (213) 740-0224, or visit
http://rossier.usc.edu/academic/masters/school-leadership/

About the USC Rossier School of Education

The USC Rossier School of Education (ross-EAR)  is one of the world's premier centers for graduate study in urban education. We prepare and develop educational leaders who are change agents, we lead the search for innovative, efficacious and just solutions through collaborative translational research, and we create mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure our work is field-based and incorporates a diversity of perspectives and experiences. At the USC Rossier School, we are committed to innovation in all our programs, utilizing the latest in technologies and online capabilities to provide students with options for learning and succeeding.
(http://rossier.usc.edu)  

SOURCE USC Rossier School of Education