Public School Building Leadership SPA NOLA EdM

Summer Principals Academy | New Orleans

Affectionately known as SPA, the Summer Principals Academy at Teachers College, Columbia University is a transformative graduate program for public school educators interested in becoming public school educational leaders. SPA integrates practice and skill development with theory and research using case studies, simulations, and teamwork.

Through SPA, aspiring school leaders are encouraged to construct transforming possibilities for student achievement and learning, school improvement, and social equity. Leadership development is fostered through an integrated set of experiences that include sound theoretical and “best practice” knowledge, problem-based coursework, and field-based experiences, including an intensive internship. Aspiring school leaders pursue coursework and skill development over two consecutive summers and undertake a site-based internship at their school of employment during the intervening year.

The SPA program supports the cultivation of ethical and effective leadership by providing a rich, complex and adaptive learning environment that facilitates the acquisition of leadership competencies and provides holistic and frequent feedback.

The SPA program has two cohort-based locations: New Orleans and New York City. The SPA New Orleans (SPA | NOLA) location accommodates for students residing in the region who are working professionals intending to keep their professional commitments throughout the academic year. The SPA | NOLA schedule is designed to have two intensive summer sessions with an administrative internship in the intervening academic year.

The Master of Education (Ed.M.) program is an advanced masters degree for aspiring urban principals who have a minimum of 24 credits of previously earned graduate work. Those credits are transferred into the program, reducing the credit load to 36 credits.

The Public School Building Leadership Summer Principals Academy-New Orleans is registered with the state of Louisiana as an approved educator preparation program for Educational Leader. If you plan to work in a state other than Louisiana, Teachers College has not made a determination if your program meets the educational requirements for certification in any other state, Washington, DC or Puerto Rico. If you intend to work in another state, we recommend that you review the state’s teacher certification website for that state’s qualifications.