Career summary

Details for Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School


Description

Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, clerical, or auxiliary activities of public or private elementary or secondary level schools.

Tasks

  • Review and approve new programs, or recommend modifications to existing programs, submitting program proposals for school board approval as necessary.
  • Prepare, maintain, or oversee the preparation and maintenance of attendance, activity, planning, or personnel reports and records.
  • Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities, policies, and student behavioral or learning problems.
  • Prepare and submit budget requests and recommendations, or grant proposals to solicit program funding.
  • Direct and coordinate school maintenance services and the use of school facilities.
  • Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
  • Organize and direct committees of specialists, volunteers, and staff to provide technical and advisory assistance for programs.
  • Teach classes or courses to students.
  • Advocate for new schools to be built, or for existing facilities to be repaired or remodeled.
  • Plan and develop instructional methods and content for educational, vocational, or student activity programs.
  • Develop partnerships with businesses, communities, and other organizations to help meet identified educational needs and to provide school-to-work programs.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of teachers, administrators, and support staff at schools, public agencies, and institutions.
  • Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure that school activities comply with federal, state, and local regulations.
  • Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies and procedures to carry them out.
  • Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff.
  • Enforce discipline and attendance rules.
  • Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques, and to determine areas where improvement is needed.
  • Establish, coordinate, and oversee particular programs across school districts, such as programs to evaluate student academic achievement.
  • Review and interpret government codes, and develop programs to ensure adherence to codes and facility safety, security, and maintenance.
  • Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment, and authorize purchases.
  • Write articles, manuals, and other publications, and assist in the distribution of promotional literature about facilities and programs.
  • Recommend personnel actions related to programs and services.
  • Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
  • Collect and analyze survey data, regulatory information, and data on demographic and employment trends to forecast enrollment patterns and curriculum change needs.
  • Determine the scope of educational program offerings, and prepare drafts of course schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
  • Plan and lead professional development activities for teachers, administrators, and support staff.
  • Participate in special education-related activities, such as attending meetings and providing support to special educators throughout the district.
  • Meet with federal, state, and local agencies to keep updated on policies and to discuss improvements for education programs.
  • Plan, coordinate, and oversee school logistics programs, such as bus and food services.
  • Coordinate and direct extracurricular activities and programs, such as after-school events and athletic contests.
  • Mentor and support administrative staff members, such as superintendents and principals.
  • Create school improvement plans by using student performance data.

Interests

  • Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
  • Training - Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
  • Experience - Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Knowledge

  • Public Safety and Security -Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • History and Archeology -Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
  • Law and Government -Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Computers and Electronics -Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Sociology and Anthropology -Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
  • Mathematics -Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Psychology -Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Administration and Management -Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Personnel and Human Resources -Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service -Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and Training -Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
  • Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

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