What Careers are Available in Early Childhood Development with a Master's in Education?
While master's in education careers in early childhood development are sometimes limited, they are very gratifying and beneficial. Getting a master’s in education prepares educational professionals to enter the world of early childhood development and make positive, long lasting changes.
Why Get a Master's in Education
Every year, more baby boomer teachers retire and the number of enrolled children in school increases. There is a growing need for educational professionals to provide leadership, improve teaching quality and help facilitate educational system reformation. Students who get a master's in education are prepared to positively impact children during their critical developmental years. A master’s in education will empower the graduate with key competencies, a strong knowledge base and effective problem solving skills.
Principal
Principals work in both public and private elementary, middle and high schools. They oversee school operations,
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perform administrative tasks and supervise teachers and staff. They must manage complex class, activity and meeting schedules. They mentor new teachers how to mentor students. They must deal with unsafe and inappropriate student behaviors respectfully and professionally. This sometimes involves intense meetings with upset parents, teachers and students. They evaluate teachers’ performance and help teachers meet their academic goals. Principals are the public face of the school and regularly meet with superintendents, school board members and government officials. Larger school districts typically have instructional coordinators to assist the principal with analyzing academic data and facilitating the professional development of teachers. Instructional Coordinator Instructional coordinators are responsible for developing and maintain the school’s curriculum and teaching standards.
This involves observing and evaluating teachers and providing constructive feedback. They plan and provide teacher training workshops. They work one-on-one with new or struggling teachers to identify weaknesses, develop training goals and monitor progress. Instructional coordinators are expected to stay up to date with industry changes, new technologies and pioneering programs. Part of their responsibilities include reviewing textbooks and proposing curriculum changes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that instructional coordinators must have a master’s degree and educational administration license. Instructional coordinators must have sharp analytic skills to evaluate data and teaching techniques. They must have effective communication and interpersonal skills because they often provide sensitive
feedback. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/instructional-coordinators.htm#tab-4 District Administrator Other master's in education careers in early childhood development involve district wide leadership. A district administrator, or superintendent, is the chief executive officer of the school district. They must follow the rules and policies of the state and the local board of education. They typically have at least ten years of experience in both teaching and administration. They must be familiar with school and federal education programs. District administrators must have a proven track record of successfully handling finances, political issues, building operations and long term planning. District administrators normally report to the board of education. They supervise an administrative management team that runs the school district. They are involved with school district planning, staffing and school operations. They have the difficult task of preparing and monitoring limited school budgets. Finally, they provide model leadership as they strive to unify teachers, parents and the public in order provide an excellent education for children. Ultimately, graduates with a master’s in education have unique and meaningful career choices. For example, principals, instructional coordinators and district administrators all play active roles in the educational field and their respective communities. While master's in education careers in early childhood development are complicated, they offer excellent career advancement opportunities.
166-173). Linda Darling-Hammond (2000) discusses how teacher education has changed and how it has affected our education system (p. 166). The author also notes how even the most intelligent people found it hard to prosper in the field without the right skills and preparation (Darling-Hammond, 2000, p. 166-173). In the article, she presents how post baccalaureate programs are carefully structured, versus alternative routes which can be no more than backup employment options. Darling-Hammond (2000) also addresses how it becomes difficult for aspiring teachers to learn both subject matter and pedagogy (p.
From school buildings to supplies and teacher license requirements, life is very different for students and teachers today compared to two centuries ago. Today’s teachers receive higher education to learn the profession, and students learn new subjects such as foreign language, art, health, and science. After a long day of learning, most take the school bus home and continue their studies further. One thing that is similar between education in the 1800s and education now, however, is that children grow up to become well-educated, well-rounded individuals who are knowledgeable about themselves and the world around
... required to regularly progress monitor each student, work one on one with all students at least once a month, assign students strategies and assignments to boost fluency and comprehension.
Students need to be able to come to school, feel welcome, and receive the best education that their teacher can provide. To be able to do this the principal needs to make the decisions that supports his/her school. Principals need to be role models and responsible decision makers. Policies and procedures need to be updated regularly and should be reviewed by multiple parties.
Principals must provide instructional leadership to facilitate and promote active learning experiences for all students because effective instructional leadership is not something principals achieve by following a checklist or tasks or a step by step program. It can be taught and be learned. (David M.Quinn 2002)
School administrators are important in setting the path for a successful school (Glickman, et al., 2014). The principals could play a dynamic leadership depending on how they exercise their beliefs of the organizational and social environment (McNair, 2011). The principals are the primary facilitators for developing the foundations in learning that will last, to manage the student’s performance at schools, and seeking the improvement at school that will cause great impacts in school‘s education (Gordon,1989). In the recent years in the U.S., education has change in a more cultural diversity population, it is imperative that school supervisors, are trained to encounter this cultural issues, but also assisting others with the opportunities to develop appropriate abilities to deal with different cultures (Glickman, et al., 2014).
How one plans to tackle all of the challenges will help them when making decisions in the future. To many people, early childhood education is unnecessary. I realize that going into this teaching field, I will most likely have to interact with adults who will argue that it is useless. There are a lot of thorny issues surrounding the professionalization of early childhood education (“The Challenges of Professionalizing ECE Workforce”). I am prepared to talk to adults about my beliefs and the importance of the program. As I go into this career with the knowledge of this, I will be more prepared on how to handle those who have a different opinion than I
Becoming an instructional specialist allows me to help other educators implement effective teaching approaches in the classroom, share differentiation and lesson plan ideas, use research-based instructional and classroom tactics, as well as keep an open door so that colleagues are able to observe my classroom (Friesen et al, 2015).
Such responsibilities include notifying the Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Municipal Audit if he/she becomes aware of any evidence of fraud related to internal school funds. Additionally, it is the superintendent’s duty to approve fundraising activities that involve participation of the general student population, and make him/herself available to each principal as a resource to aid with the Manual and all other resources pertaining to school accounting. The school principal’s obligation is to comply with the regulations contained in the Manual and any other policy adopted by the local board of education. Further, all principals must provide safekeeping of all school funds and other property, and must deliver all financial records and supporting documentation as directed by the school board or superintendent.
According to U.S. Department of Education, Early Education teacher means “any professional working in Early Learning and Development Programs, including but not limited to center-based and family child care providers, infant and toddler specialists, early administrators, Head Start teachers, Early Head Start teachers, preschool and other teachers, teacher assistants, family services staff, and health coordinators.” Some reason why people want to become an early education teacher persist of good education programs, wages/benefits, and the skills people need to have for the job.
I have always had a great interest in teaching children and believe that I will excel in this area. Although I majored in ESE as an undergraduate, my trainings during that stage helped develop effective modes of thinking and research approaches. In addition, I conscientiously self-studied many works related to education which have enabled me to construct a solid groundwork for more advanced studies in this field. Last but not the least, my current teaching career and my teaching experience will play a positive role in facilitating my target degree
They must have a deep understanding of research that has been done on instructional strategies and how to best align instruction with various content areas. The instructional specialist needs to be aware of research-based instructional strategies that effectively meet needs of students. They need to understand standards-based planning in order to help teachers look at the big picture first and then plan instructional and assessment strategies to benefit all students. The instructional specialist must know the difference between
I chose education as my career path because I hope to be able to make a small difference in a child’s life. Time and time again I have seen children being educated poorly and/or not having appropriate role models in their life. I feel that an educator must not only be able to convey to the student the classroom material, but also be a counselor, coach, mentor, and a parent. Failing to fulfill these roles gives a child the chance to slip through the educational system without having the opportunity to influence them to some degree.
Is it the college bound student with a broad liberal arts education? Is it the student who graduates high school trained in a specific trade? Many in the field of education cannot come to an agreement on how our schools can best achieve excellence for and from our students. One of the many authorities who have contributed a model for what schools should be is Robert L. Ebel. According to Ebel, knowledge is the single most significant and most important goal in the education of children.
With the proper guidance and support, teachers can achieve academic excellence in the classroom. They follow their principal’s vision and share their goals. Teachers also serve as leaders in their classroom. They share their vision and goals with their students promoting positive attitudes in the classroom. Just like it is important for principals to respect and understand what their teachers need, students also need the support, understanding, respect and empathy from their teachers. When teachers demonstrate commitment in the classroom and set high expectations they raise the level of learning in the classroom. Teachers that work with the students and their parents to understand and meet their needs will achieve positive academic outcomes. Students engage in learning with positive attitudes and strive for high achievements. Teachers work together with their leaders to improve their teaching