The Summer Principals Academy (SPA) at Teachers College, Columbia University is a transformative graduate program that is committed to promoting equity and excellence in education and overcoming the gap in educational access and achievement between the most and least advantaged groups in this country. To achieve this goal, our aspiring school leaders are encouraged to construct transforming possibilities for student learning, school improvement, social equity, and opportunity. While some principal preparation programs are content to prepare school leaders to perpetuate schools as they currently exist, SPA strives to prepare leaders to create the innovative schools that our nation and world need.
Our cohort model allows courses to be delivered over two consecutive five-week summer sessions and the Administrative Internship takes place during the intervening school year, where our graduate students are already place allowing them to maintain their jobs in their current schools while earning their degree.
Students’ studies in SPA conclude with the New School Design Project which serves as the capstone to the degree.
New York State Education Department (NYSED) has teacher certification requirements that are needed for program completion and graduation which are listed in the Office of Teacher Education.
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.
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* Deadline for the 2023 application extended to May 1.
THE SUMMER PRINCIPALS ACADEMY
Degrees Offered: M.A. & Ed.M.
Certification Offered: Recommendation for NY State School Building Leadership (SBL) Certificate
Code: ELBL
Program Director: Dr. Brian K. Perkins
Website: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/organization-and-leadership/spa-nyc/
The Summer Principals Academy (SPA) at Teachers College, Columbia University is a transformative graduate program that is committed to promoting equity and excellence in education and overcoming the gap in educational access and achievement between the most and least advantaged groups in this country. To achieve this goal, our aspiring school leaders are encouraged to construct transforming possibilities for student learning, school improvement, social equity, and opportunity. While some principal preparation programs are content to prepare school leaders to perpetuate schools as they currently exist, SPA strives to prepare leaders to create the innovative schools that our nation and the world need. Through the Summer Principals Academy, 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 and extended internship.
SPA is a cohort program enrolling graduate students from all over the country and abroad in a rigorous 14-month program. Courses are delivered Monday – Friday, from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, over two consecutive five-week summer sessions. The 450-hour Administrative Internship takes place during the intervening school year, thereby enabling students to complete the internship requirements while maintaining their jobs in their current schools. The schedule supports the reality of aspiring leaders who are currently working as teachers, team leaders, department chairs, or supervisors who do not wish to leave their schools to attend a full-time program.
Students’ studies in the Summer Principals Academy conclude with the New School Design Project. Serving as the capstone project, candidates integrate the knowledge and skills they have developed while preparing for leadership service in schools across the nation. The New School Design teams are challenged to develop a new school that reflects the domains of knowledge, skill, and habits of mind and that is relevant to the challenges faced by children seeking a 21st-century education in a public school setting. The event offers the larger educational community of leaders the opportunity to share their insights and expertise regarding how to close achievement gaps effectively through the design of innovative and high-performing schools.
The Summer Principals Academy (SPA) offers two cohort locations – New Orleans, LA, and New York City, NY – to educators who aspire to become school leaders. The two cohorts provide the same course content, instruction, assessment, and high-quality education experience, but each caters to a different school calendar. SPA New York (SPA|NYC) delivers courses for five weeks beginning in July and ending in August.
Curriculum:
Summer I:
ORLA 4001: Introduction to School Leadership and Decision Making
ORLA 5018: School Leadership for Adult Development
ORLA 5029: Supervision of Teaching & Learning
ORLJ 5340: Basic Practicum in Conflict Resolution
ORLA 5532: Curriculum Development: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
ORLA 6020: Pro-Seminar in School Leadership: Self-Awareness Training and Social Emotional Learning
Fall:
ORLA 5532: Curriculum Development: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
ORLA 6020: Pro-Seminar in School Leadership: Social Emotional Learning
ORLA 6460: Internship in School Leadership
Spring:
ORLA 5532: Curriculum Development: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
ORLA 6020: Pro-Seminar in School Leadership: Cultural Diversity
ORLA 6460: Internship in School Leadership II
ORLA 5199: New School Design I
Summer II:
ORLA 5017: Team Building and Organizational Development
ORLA 4025: Resource Allocation for Student Achievement
ORLA 5025: Ecology of Data-Driven Leadership
ORLA 4033: Ethical and Legal Issues in Education Leadership
ORLA 6020: Pro-Seminar in School Leadership: Self-Awareness Training and Cultural Diversity
ORLA 5199: New School Design II
ACCREDITATION
SPA|NYC is a fully accredited Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) principal preparation program that culminates in a Master's Degree in Public School Building Leadership and is registered with the New York State Education Department.
CERTIFICATION
SPA|NYC leads to an institutional recommendation for New York State School Building Leader (SBL) certification. If you plan to work in a state other than Louisiana, prospective students are advised to determine if the 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.