Principal Leadership
Principal Leadership Cohort • Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (M.A.)   Now accepting applications.

Program Highlights
Admission Requirements
Curriculum | Schedule

To Learn More
If you are interested in the Principal Leadership Cohort of Rider’s M.A. in Educational Leadership, please contact:

Office of Graduate Admission
Rider University
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ, USA 08648-3099
gradadm@rider.edu
800-257-9026 or 609-896-5036
Preparing a new generation of educators for the changing role of the principal in today's
new school leadership paradigm.

A New Generation of School Leaders

Principals are the essential link between school leadership and student achievement

Offered by Rider’s respected and NCATE-accredited School of Education, the Principal Leadership Cohort focuses on equipping educators with the leadership qualities and skills needed to respond to the challenges — and opportunities — facing schools today. Focusing on transformational leadership and instructional improvement, the program aligns with Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards.

The Role of Principal Leaders in Shaping a Great Education

Based on a dozen years of research and field experience, the prestigious Wallace Foundation identifies five key practices linking effective school leadership and student achievement:

Shaping a vision of academic success for all students based on high standards

Creating a climate hospitable to education so that safety, a cooperative spirit and other foundations of fruitful interaction prevail

Cultivating leadership in others so that teachers and others assume their part in realizing the school vision

Improving instruction to enable teachers to teach at their best and students to learn at their utmost

Managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement

  

Preparing Principals for New Emerging Needs

Rider’s Principal Leadership program recognizes that it is principals who are best positioned to lead the effort in their schools to ensure that teaching and learning are as excellent as possible. Principals who have a school-wide focus on better teaching and learning, who know how to create a vision and share authority, and who are prepared to be accountable for achieving the school’s educational goals, are vital to ensuring the quality of our children’s education.

The professionals in our School of Education work with our participants to develop and evaluate curricula, use data to diagnose student needs, coach teachers, plan professional development in their schools, and establish school-wide norms that support high quality teaching and learning.

A Flexible Executive Format Program

Leading to an M.A. in Educational Leadership, the Principal Leadership program’s cohort-based, executive-style format brings educational peers together to study, network and learn as a unit throughout the program. Participants engage in online classes during the school year, and attend two residencies on Rider’s Lawrenceville Campus each summer.

The program’s flexible blended learning format recognizes the demands of the teaching profession while maintaining the rigors of a quality leadership training program. Participants pursue their graduate studies without interrupting their professional and personal responsibilities.

Candidates complete their graduate studies in two years, and are eligible to sit for both the principal and supervisor certificates.

All-Inclusive Tuition

This executive program’s all-inclusive tuition covers the full cost of attendance, as well as books, student fees, and residency expenses. School districts with multiple participants in the Principal Leadership program may qualify for a group discount rate.

Details are available from the Office of Graduate Admission at 609-896-5036.