From classroom teaching to educational management
 |
Dr Alan Rice |
The Educational Leadership Program at Macquarie University provides teachers with the knowledge and skills they require when moving from classroom teaching to a management role.
"Moving into the role of deputy principal or principal is daunting due to pressures arising from new responsibilities in leadership, management, delegation, staff professional development and strategies to increase student achievement," explains Dr Pamela Matters, Coordinator, Educational Leadership Program (School Education). "Issues have to be resolved in practical ways under the steady and relentless gaze of the entire school community and beyond."
Postgraduate programs
Macquarie University offers a fully articulated suite of postgraduate programs in educational leadership. At the entry level there is the Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership (School Education), progressing to the Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Educational Leadership (School Education), through to the Doctor of Education. Core subjects in the program include: Educational Institutions as Organisations, Leadership for Learning, and Organisation of School Education.
Additional units include legal aspects of education, personnel management and educational change.
"The University's postgraduate programs in education offer aspiring principals a range of courses that allow them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to address the type of challenges that they encounter in moving from 'the ranks' to a position of leadership within an educational setting," says Dr Alan Rice, Dean of the Australian Centre for Educational Studies (ACES) at Macquarie University.
A number of past students have gone on to assume leadership positions in state, independent and Catholic schools across the state. Their feedback indicates that the program enabled them to more effectively prepare and present a case for appointment as a principal or as an educational leader.
Learning opportunities
Teachers have the opportunity to gain a number of important skills through undertaking the Educational Leadership Program. These include:
- thinking analytically about issues and using a variety of different conceptual tools to diagnose and formulate solutions to leadership
- dealing effectively with management and organisational problems
- communicating effectively as a leader and manager
- analysing the organisation in which they work, setting directions, planning and implementing initiatives and evaluating effectiveness
- developing, motivating and monitoring staff
- providing fresh and new perspectives on the development of leadership solutions and approaches with potential for benefiting the organisation as a whole.
"The Educational Leadership Program enables a person to think about the issues they face, to deal with them proactively, and to chart productive future directions for Australian schools in an increasingly global learning environment, all with a fresh and informed perspective," says Rice.
Alex Mitchell Scholarship in Educational Leadership (School Education)
The Alex Mitchell Scholarship is offered annually to a Macquarie University Education graduate applying for entry to the Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership (School Education).
The successful candidate will be currently involved in educational management and leadership activities, and looking to further their skills and knowledge in these areas. The scholarship covers tuition fees for this program. Applications close Tuesday 31 October 2006.
In addition to the above scholarship, awards to outstanding students in the Educational Leadership Program will be provided by the Australian Council for Educational Leadership.
For further information on the Educational Leadership Program visit the ACES website www.aces.mq.edu.au
For an application form for the Alex Mitchell Scholarship contact Alison Cameron alison.cameron@mq.edu.au