School Administrator Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a school administrator job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a school administrator. Feel free to use our school administrator job description template to produce your own school administrator job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a school administrator.
Who is a School Administrator?
The development, implementation, and evaluation of district and school systems and policies are within the purview of school administrators. At academic institutions, school administrators serve in leadership positions. They might work in admissions or student affairs, or they might be vice principals or principals. Class schedules are created by school administrators, who also ensure that the curriculum is uniform and that funds are allocated properly.
Education is more crucial than ever in the modern world. Now is the time to appoint leaders in school districts who care deeply about kids and their education. The vitally crucial task of making sure the system is running successfully and efficiently is one that school administrators appreciate. People who are appointed to administrative positions, such as principal, dean, or headmaster, exhibit a high level of excellence in all areas of education.
Common administrative responsibilities include ensuring that all schools, teachers, and counselors are working together toward a common objective while raising standards and expanding opportunities. Together, with the right kind of leadership, school systems can achieve the objectives set out by school boards and create highly educated, future-ready pupils.
In order to ensure that all educators are able to achieve their personal and professional objectives, the administration has exciting leadership opportunities that frequently play significant roles in the development of curricula, goals, budgets, timelines, state regulations, mandated testing, as well as performance measures. Administrators and academic staff will pave the way for everyone’s achievement together.
Exceptional teams are formed by successful administrators to support the objectives and aspirations of students. Goals can be further reached with better success and acceptance with the help of vice principles.
School administrators frequently study ways to connect with kids of diverse ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Relationship-building skills are crucial for administrators as well as for the general performance of school systems and standardized testing. School districts are required to operate in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. School administrators are required to continue their education, frequently enrolling in doctoral programs in leadership. Although this considerably depends on the school system and the demand for administrators, a master’s degree is typically earned before taking an administrator post.
Leaders that take pride in their strategic planning, tremendous support from all sectors, and respect for all stakeholders in the education system, including teachers, students, parents, and school board members, including school administrators, In contrast to instructors, administrative professionals work throughout the year and frequently manage several crises at once. An administrator’s duties typically include creating budgets and properly allocating finances to enable exceptional students to attain their full potential.
School Administrator Job Description
What is a school administrator job description? A school administrator job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a school administrator in an organization. Below are the school administrator job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a school administrator job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a school administrator include the following:
- Recognize and review how the school and each of its departments operate.
- Consider the workload and extracurricular activities of each teacher when creating class schedules.
- Perform research on professional development workshops and the dissemination of these chances to teachers and other workers.
- Attend meetings and arrange suitable staff team-building activities.
- Make sure budget and resources are distributed fairly.
- Keep track of the successes and failures of your students and plan the necessary interventions.
- Control the school’s grounds crew, caretakers, and security.
- Help with new teacher recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training.
- Get to know the parents, students, and staff at other schools and keep in touch with them.
- Draft proposals for financial reports, and other papers.
- Help maintain contact data, including those for students, employees, and trustees.
Qualifications
- Education: Graduate training in education administration or a related subject is required for prospective school administrators. Master’s degrees (M.Ed. or EdM), Educational Specialist degrees (EdS), Doctor of Education degrees (EdD), and PhDs in Education are popular degree levels for this specialty. School administrators frequently have several years of classroom teaching experience in addition to a graduate degree. Their ability to relate to the teachers they would supervise as administrators and comprehend the difficulties encountered in the classroom is improved by this experience.
- A suitable license and certification could be necessary for this role.
- Significant teaching or administrative experience in schools may be necessary.
- Knowledge and proficiency with the required software
Essential Skills
- Create a positive network: Any educational establishment you visit will have a slightly anxious atmosphere, including schools. One of the best ways to promote school unity and order in emergency situations is to be able to develop positive connections with students, parents, and staff and diffuse tense situations.
- Knows When to Request Assistance: The head of the school is frequently thought of as the expert. However, there is a lot of collaboration taking place in the background. Being a successful school administrator requires knowing when (and who) to ask for assistance or having a mentor you can consult for guidance.
- Listening Techniques: Sometimes, listening to those around you can help you spot issues before they even arise. You may lead your institution to success by being aware of what is happening there and using feedback to raise staff and student satisfaction levels generally. The day-to-day responsibilities of a school administrator may appear to be somewhat onerous on paper. Despite the career’s many hurdles, there are some moments that are even more fulfilling.
- Strategic Thinking Skills: It is the duty of a school administrator to evaluate data and conduct analyses in order to make decisions for the school. You must be able to use data and analytics to establish precise strategies, not merely review them for analysis’s sake. These techniques will be applied to enhance student performance or the results of a particular curriculum. This is something you should work on if you are not a strategic thinker who can use data to create strategic judgments.
- Organizational and time-management abilities: If you don’t effectively manage your time, it’s incredibly simple to feel overwhelmed in the administrative field. The majority of seasoned administrators will agree that effectively managing your time is arguably the most difficult component of your work and a skill you’ll learn over time. You need to be dedicated to planning your day so that you may complete all of your tasks and mark off the things that are most important. It will be challenging to efficiently use your time so you can leave the office at a respectable hour each day if you are not organized or have poor time management skills.
- Research Techniques: Administrators must always develop new skills. This is still true. Even if you have a doctorate. It’s critical that you remain a lifelong learner because best practices vary from industry to industry and from institution to institution. You can separate yourself from other administrators by being a skilled researcher who takes the time to comprehend best practices and how to implement them in your setting. In order to help the school or the district achieve its objectives, schools are continually looking for experts with innovative ideas. The number of kids enrolling in schools is growing. The number of principals and other administrators required to serve the pupils will increase as this number increases. Consider this position if you’ve always wanted to work as a leader in the education industry. If you have the necessary abilities to become a successful school administrator, start your studies for advanced degrees in education and administration.
- Leadership Talents: Due to the duties that a school administrator must perform, leadership is among the most crucial abilities that he or she must possess. The leader in a learning environment is in charge of encouraging the efforts and cooperation of everyone involved in education, including parents, administrators, instructors, and authorities. This leader must motivate and intellectually stimulate the team members with whom he works, taking the time to personally listen to each one and encourage them to reach their full potential in order to advance the cause. The ability to influence others without asserting one’s authority, reflecting one’s personal and professional beliefs, and being able to communicate a vision are the qualities of an educational leader that are most crucial.
- Excellent communication skills: One of the cornerstones of leadership in educational settings is having the capacity for aggressive communication. An effective administrator communicates his ideas honestly, plainly, and concisely. His goal is to achieve a sufficient level of harmony among the various parties involved in the same project. Effective listening abilities are associated with good communication skills. The adaptable leader effectively interprets the viewpoints and recommendations of those who communicate with him.
- Consistent dedication: All students, parents, and other members of the school community are encouraged to show their dedication to the leader. The project leader must be able to demonstrate openness and receptivity in order to secure the commitment and involvement of all participants. When the various members of the educational community are allowed to work independently and autonomously, an educational administrator is successful in gaining their support. The best outcomes in school community participation need constant interaction and communication.
- Interaction with others: The group’s or community’s interests are represented by the leader. This image suggests the capacity for ongoing conversation with community members in order to understand their motives, concepts, and objectives. An effective educational leader is one who maintains communication with the group he or she oversees and who is able to inspire each member to connect with a shared goal.
- Persuasion: Because of the nature of their employment, persuasion is one of the most crucial social skills for individuals who operate or oversee schools. A leader who effectively uses persuasion unites standards, organizes efforts, and guides his team toward cooperation and teamwork.
- Ability to Mentor others: Successful leaders work hard to bring out the greatness in others because they recognize it inside them. A leader’s choice causes an improvement in the school. Every leader will be able to describe how they helped a school develop.
- Delegating Activities to inspire growth in others: Strong leaders lead by example and are driven to complete tasks on their own. It’s critical to delegate some tasks to other employees. Assigning tasks helps a team achieve its objectives and improves workload management and staff development. The squad will also deliver excellent results as a result.
- Decisive Action Capacity: Great administrators take the time to comprehend the issues they face and act forcefully and decisively to address them.
- Skills in risk management: When making decisions, a wise leader must consider both the rewards and the costs. They must take into account both potential outcomes and decision-making options. Successful administrators must consider both the opportunities and hazards that are relevant to their institutions.
- Priority Setting: Set the proper priorities to avoid wasting time and effort on irrelevant things. The easier a task can be completed, the better a manager is at setting priorities. You will not only become a successful leader but also an excellent administrator when you develop yourself with these skills.
How to Become a School Administrator
- Get your bachelor’s degree: A bachelor’s degree can be earned in almost any discipline, but before you can teach, you must be certified in education. A bachelor’s degree requires four years to complete, during which time you must also fulfill the criteria for teaching certification in the state where you will be working.
The teaching requirements you must fulfill to earn your bachelor’s degree depending on the grade and subject you intend to teach. For instance, if you want to work in education at the high school level, a large portion of your coursework will focus on the skills you’ll need to have.
Remember that it is advised that you have several years of teaching experience before becoming a school administrator because the skills you obtain are both valuable and necessary for your professional development and to get you ready for the job.
- Get a teaching license from your state: After earning your bachelor’s degree, you must choose the state where you intend to teach. You may need to fulfill particular requirements in order to become a teacher, depending on the state you pick. Learn about the qualifications for teaching in your state and the procedures for getting a teaching license. You’ll almost always need to pass tests in the subject you want to study.
- Obtain Significant Teaching Experience: While each state has its own requirements, in most states, you must have taught for at least three years before you can be considered as a candidate for a position as a school administrator. It is essential that you get familiar with the responsibilities of a school administrator while gaining teaching experience. Discover current problems or shortcomings in your school’s system that the administrative team would be better able to resolve by getting to know the leadership team, joining school organizations, and participating in those activities. Gaining employment as a school administrator depends heavily on your ability to comprehend the administrative procedures at your institution.
- Obtain a credential in administrative services after finishing your master’s degree in education administration: For more freedom, decide whether to finish your master’s in education administration on campus or through an online program. Master’s degrees generally require two years to complete, and enrollment frequently calls for a teaching license. It’s crucial to gain a credential in administrative services after finishing graduate school and earning a master’s degree. Online credential programs are available, such as the Administrative Services Credential Program at Alliant International University. You can complete all your classes and coursework online, giving you scheduling freedom.
- Pass the school administrators’ license examination in your state: The educational prerequisites for a professional administrator license differ by state, just like they do for a teaching license. First, you must ensure that you pass all necessary competency tests, satisfy all academic requirements, and adhere to all curriculum standards. To gain experience working as a school administrator, it may also be necessary for some states to complete a mentorship program.
- Apply and interview for a variety of open administrative positions: Your only remaining step is to submit applications for available administration positions with your bachelor’s degree, teaching license, teaching experience, master’s degree, and school administrative license. Even though you might adore your current job, it might be years before an executive role becomes available. When applying for administrative positions, you might want to submit applications to several colleges in order to improve your career more quickly and unlock doors to countless opportunities.
- Get Experience in Your New Field by Working There: Everyone can stand to get better. Even while you might not manage all of your new administrative functions and responsibilities perfectly during your first week or month on the job, with practice you’ll get better at it. You must strive to learn and develop in your new field every day that you work there.
Where to Work as a School Administrator.
- Primary, secondary, or post-secondary school.
- Adult education programs.
- Admissions department of a college.
School Administrator Salary Scale.
The pay for school administrators varies according to their position. Postsecondary education administrators (at colleges and universities) made a median salary of nearly $94,340 in 2018, compared to the approximately $95,3110 earned by principals of primary, middle, and secondary schools. 1, 2 Through 2028, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts job growth for elementary, middle, and high school principals of 4% and for postsecondary education administrators of 7%.
In the UK, a school administrator makes an average salary of £22,985 a year, or £11.79 an hour. Most experienced professionals earn up to £29,012 per year, while entry-level roles start at £21,217.