Department website: https://www.atu.edu/ceh

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership is designed to prepare candidates for licensure as a principal or assistant principal at the building level. The program of study reflects the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) "Building Level" Standards, and the current School Leadership Standards adopted by the state of Arkansas. 

This program also reflects the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) "Building Level" Standards, and all current Arkansas School Leadership Standards.

This program may be completed online.

Note: Individuals, with an existing Masters degree in a related field, seeking to add the "P-12 Building Level Administrator" endorsement (code 276) to their Arkansas Educator's License, may be interested in pursuing the P-12 Building Level Administrator graduate certificate. 

Unconditional Admission

Note: Except for #1 and #8, admissions requirements reflect expectations from the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for Educational Leadership programs throughout the state. 

Students are eligible for unconditional admission to the Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership if they meet the following requirements:

1. Applicant must meet all admissions criteria for the ATU Graduate College.
2. Applicant must be proficient in English.
3. Applicant must hold a valid Arkansas Educator’s License.
4. Applicant must provide documentation of at least three years teaching experience. (A letter from the Superintendent or designee is required.)
5. Applicant must provide documentation of a current “effective” or “highly-effective” TESS rating. (If applicant is from outside Arkansas, then an equivalent rating may be substituted.)
6. Applicant must provide documentation of the appropriate Pathways Proficiency Credential or evidence that he/she is currently progressing along one of the Pathways for Proficiency approved by DESE. If the latter, Phase 1 training documentation is required prior to graduation or program completion.
7. Applicant must provide three letters of recommendation from principals, superintendents, college faculty, or similar educational leaders that attest to the applicant’s potential for effective educational leadership. Helpful documentation may include any of the following:
   • National Board Certified Teacher
   • Leadership Training (Teacher Leader Academy, ESL Academy, etc.)
   • Related Micro-credentials (effective teaching, leadership, etc.)
   • Evidence of ability to raise student achievement
   • Other evidence adult leadership activities
8. Application must be approved by the EDLD Program Director.

Note: If some of the above requirements are not met, the student may still be eligible for conditional acceptance. Contact the EDLD Program Director for details.

Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
EDFD 6003	Educational Research	3
EDLD 6003	School Law	3
EDLD 6013	School Organization and Leadership	3
EDLD 6023	Organizational Change	3
EDLD 6102	School Finance	2
EDLD 6153	Communication with School and Community	3
EDLD 6253	Instructional Leadership	3
EDLD 6313	Principles of Curriculum for School Leaders	3
EDLD 6403	Working with the Marginal Performer	3
EDLD 6552	Building Level Administrator Internship (Two [2] semesters)	4
Total Hours		30

• The student must also create a Professional Portfolio that provides evidence of the candidate's competency as it relates to both state and national standards. The portfolio is not simply a file of course projects or a scrapbook of professional memorabilia. It is an extensive collection of materials that provides tangible evidence of the wide range of related knowledge, dispositions, and skills necessary to function as an effective educational leader. The portfolio is a work in progress that is updated regularly throughout the program, and must be presented to the Portfolio Review Committee for approval before graduation.
• Coursework from other institutions of higher education will only be transferred from institutions that have received program approval for a program of study reflective of the current School Leader Licensure Standards adopted by the state of Arkansas.

State/National Standards
ATU’s Educational Leadership (EDLD) program reflects the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Building Level Standards ¹ as well as the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Competencies for P-12 School Level Principals. ²

Learning Objectives
As school leaders, students who complete the EDLD program will demonstrate the capacity to promote the success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to:

1) ... collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community. (NELP 1.0)

2) ... understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms. (NELP 2.0)

3) ... develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture. (NELP 3.0)

4) ... evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment. (NELP 4.0)

5) ... engage families, community, and school personnel to strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their school and community. (NELP 5.0)

6) ... improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations. (NELP 6.0)

7) ... build the school’s professional capacity, engage staff in the development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision, evaluation, support, and professional learning. (NELP 7.0)

8) ... successfully complete an internship that provides coherent, authentic, and sustained opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP standards 1–7. (NELP 8.0)

¹ NPBEA. (2018). National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Standards - Building Level. Retrieved from: www.npbea.org.

² https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/Administrator_School_Level_Principal_P-12_Competencies_final__2023_EEF.pdf

For program assessment visit: https://www.atu.edu/assessment/program_assessment.php