How Do I Become a School Principal?

Has your childhood dream always been to become a school principal? If you have always known that education was the field for you, you must consider all of the different paths within the educational system that you can take. The school principal, who oversees an institution to ensure it is running smoothly, is an important figure in public elementary, middle and high schools. While there are budget restraints in many school districts across the nation, there will always be a need for a professional and educated principal wherever a school teaches students. There are several different routes you can take to reach the same destination, but some routes are much more direct than others.

Get Your Bachelor’s Degree

The first step to becoming a principal is to earn your undergraduate degree in education. With an undergraduate degree, you can fulfill most state requirements to apply for your teaching credential. As you might expect, you will need to gain professional experience as a teacher in a classroom environment before you can manage teachers. This is why it is imperative that you choose an accredited school and a respected program that will prepare you to work closely with children within a specific age range.

While you are earning your degree, you should also complete student teaching requirements so that you can apply for your teacher’s license as soon as you graduate. As long as you fulfill the teaching certification requirements in your state, you can receive your credential and start marketing yourself for open teaching positions.

Related Resource: Masters of Education Degree  Specializations

Gain Professional Teaching Experience

Now that you are licensed to instruct students, the next step is to gain one to five years of experience in the teaching occupation. The only way you can genuinely understand what are expected of teachers is to be one, and this is why all states require school administrators to have extensive teaching experience. The length of teaching experience can vary by state, but it is better to gain the most experience possible. Consider the setting you would like to administrate, and try and find positions within this setting.

Completing a Graduate Program

You will need an advanced degree to eventually become a school principal. As you are working as a teacher, you should apply to graduate school and start attending a master’s in education program or Ph.D program concentrating on education. When you successfully earn your master’s or your Ph.D., you will need to apply for school administrator licensing in your state. All candidates for principal positions require public school principals to pass a licensing exam and meet the educational requirements before they can oversee a public educational facility.

Once you are finally licensed as a school administrator, you will be eligible to apply for school principal positions when they become open. Keep in mind that there is fierce competition in this field, and you may have to spend a lot of time searching for openings before you are selected to lead a school. Demand for school principals in primary education based on projections released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics  is only predicted to grow by 6% by the year 2022. With slow growth in the field, it is important for prospective professionals to be realistic. Set your goal to become a school principal, and choose an area where demand is much higher than the national average.