Administrators and principals

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Education administrators provide direction, leadership and day-to-day management of educational activities in schools, preschools, daycare centers, colleges and universities, businesses, correctional institutions, museums, and job training and community service organizations. They set educational standards and goals and establish the policies and procedures to carry them out. They also supervise managers, support staff, teachers, counselors, librarians, coaches and others.

Principals manage elementary and secondary schools. They work with teachers to develop and maintain high curriculum standards, develop mission statements and set performance goals and objectives. Increasingly, principals must be sensitive to the social welfare and cultural diversity of students. Principals also meet and interact with other administrators, students, parents and representatives of community organizations. They prepare budgets and are increasingly involved in public relations and fundraising.

Assistant principals aid the principal in the overall administration of the school. They are responsible for scheduling student classes, ordering textbooks and supplies and coordinating transportation, custodial, cafeteria and other support services. They usually handle discipline, attendance, social and recreational programs, and health and safety.

Administrators in school district central offices manage public schools under their jurisdiction. They plan, evaluate, standardize and improve curriculums and teaching techniques. They oversee career counseling programs and testing to place students in appropriate classes.

In colleges and universities, academic deans, deans of faculty, provosts and university deans assist presidents, make faculty appointments, develop budgets and establish academic policies and programs.

Higher education administrators direct and coordinate the provision of student services. Vice presidents of student affairs or student life, deans of students and directors of student services direct and coordinate admissions, foreign student services, health and counseling services, career services, financial aid, and housing and residential life. Registrars register students, prepare student transcripts, assess and collect tuition and fees, oversee the preparation of college catalogs and class schedules, and analyze enrollment and demographic statistics. Directors of admissions manage the process of recruiting, evaluating and admitting students.

Coordinating and interacting with faculty, parents and students can be fast-paced and stimulating, but also stressful and demanding. Principals and assistant principals, whose main duty often is discipline, may find working with difficult students challenging and frustrating. Many education administrators work more than 40 hours a week, including some nights and weekends during which they oversee school activities. Most administrators work 10 or 11 months a year, but some work year round. Some jobs include travel.

Training and qualifications

Preschool directors, principals, assistant principals, central office administrators and academic deans usually have held teaching positions before moving into administration. Supervisors look for determination, confidence, innovation and leadership. A person in such a position must have strong interpersonal skills and be an effective communicator and motivator. Knowledge of management principles and practices is important. Familiarity with computers is a plus for principals, who are becoming increasingly involved in gathering information and coordinating technical resources for their students and classrooms.

In most public schools, principals, assistant principals and school administrators in central offices need a master's degree in education administration or educational supervision. Some principals and central office administrators have a doctorate or specialized degree in education administration. Most states require principals to be licensed as school administrators.

Academic deans and chairpersons usually have a doctorate in their specialty. Admissions, student affairs and financial aid directors and registrars sometimes start in related staff jobs with bachelor's degrees — any field usually is acceptable — and obtain advanced degrees in college student affairs, counseling or higher education administration. A Ph.D. or Ed.D. usually is necessary for top student affairs positions. Computer literacy and a background in mathematics or statistics may be assets in admissions, records and financial work.

Job outlook

Employment of education administrators is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2010. But job opportunities will be excellent because a large proportion of education administrators are expected to retire over the next 10 years. As education and training take on greater importance in everyone's lives, the need for people to administer education programs will grow.

Principals and assistant principals should have the best job prospects. A sharp increase in responsibilities in recent years has made the job more stressful, discouraging teachers from taking positions in administration.

Earnings

Education administrators held about 453,000 jobs in 2000. Salaries of education administrators depend on several factors, including the location and enrollment level in the school or school district. Median annual earnings of education administrators in 2000 were $00,000 a year.