Continuing Education Sources for School Administrators
- Professional Organizations
- Conferences
- Special Topics Workshops
- School Board
- Community Events
Becoming a school administrator is an exciting promotion within the field of education. It offers new opportunities, as well as new responsibilities. One way to thoroughly succeed in these new duties and dynamic professional environment is to pursue continuing education through one of the areas discussed here.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016
1. Professional Organizations
Joining professional organizations opens many doors for continued education. They help educators connect and network on the national, state, and local levels. They provide access to the latest in education research, opportunities for improving leadership skills, access to valuable resources, and special events throughout the year. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) is the largest and most broad organization in the nation, and therefore an excellent one to start with.
2. Conferences
Professional conferences offer exciting opportunities to devote a solid block of time to continued education. For the duration of a conference, administrators are able to leave everything else behind as they connect with other professionals, learn about the latest information and services available in education, often in a setting that feels like a vacation. One great event to consider attending in 2018 is the Association for International Education Administrators Annual Conference. This conference will provide a global perspective on some of the most important issues school administrators currently face, as well as a space in which to collaborate around forming a plan.
3. Special Topics Workshops
The most successful school administrators are those who identify the unique needs of their school and district, and then seek workshops and courses designed to help them understand how best to address these special topics. There are several ways to accomplish this. One is to take related courses at a local college, university, or adult education institution. Another is to find local workshops and webinars on the topics. Many of the professional organizations offer them, such as AASA (mentioned above) and these provided by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
4. School Board
Every district has a school board responsible for certain logistical tasks. It is also a valuable continued education resource. The board represents many aspects of the community that either influence or are influenced by local schools. Members offer diverse perspectives for school administrators to learn from. They are a built-in networking system to consult about local opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to get involved in. They know first hand what challenges students might be facing, as well as which resources are available to help overcome them.
5. Community Events
There will always be an issue or topic that administrators struggle to find an existing continuing educational opportunity for. Rather than give up in despair, administrators might consider gathering school board members, staff, faculty, teachers, and even students together to create a community event addressing the situation. It can be a discussion forum, a speaker’s panel of local experts, or a fundraiser. This is an opportunity to build community and innovate.
Seeking quality continuing education opportunities is a central duty of a school administrator. There are several resources available, from large national organizations and conferences, to small local opportunities that administrators can create themselves with collaborative efforts from community members. One initiative per month can have a huge impact on the success of administrators.
