Keene State Educator Preparation Programs: Educational Leadership M.Ed. and Post-M.Ed. Options

NOTE: Special Education Administrator Option- TBA

Keene State College (KSC) prepares promising students to think critically and creatively, to engage in active citizenship, and to pursue meaningful work. As the public liberal arts college of New Hampshire, we offer an enriching campus community and achieve academic excellence through the integration of teaching, learning, scholarship, and service. Founded in 1909 as Keene Normal School, the college serves approximately 4000 undergraduate students, who select from over 40 major programs, and approximately 100 graduate students enrolled in Post-Baccalaureate, Graduate Certificate, Master’s and Post-Master’s programs in Education or Safety Studies. Education is one of the largest undergraduate majors on campus.

Keene State is part of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and is governed by the USNH Board of Trustees. Curricular and program decisions relating to Educator Preparation are impacted by institutional policies and policy-making bodies, including the KSC Educator Preparation Council, the KSC College Senate, the USNH Board of Trustees and the New Hampshire State Department of Education. KSC Educator Preparation programs align state standards for teacher certification with national Specialized Professional Association (SPA) standards as part of the national accreditation and state approval processes. Keene State College has maintained national accreditation through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation since 1954, and all educator preparation programs are fully approved by the New Hampshire State Department of Education until August 31, 2021.

The KSC Educator Preparation Council (EPC) has approved undergraduate and graduate Decision Points, supporting state and national standards, for candidate admission, progression and completion. Decision Points include requirements for criminal history records checks, GPA, test scores, professional dispositions, field experience evaluations, completion of program coursework, and recommendation for state certification. Candidate disposition evaluations share a common framework and common items that are assessed during Internship experiences. All Educational Leadership and EPP data are housed in the KSC Tk20 data system. Additionally, the EPC approved the KSC Framework for School College Partnerships (May 2017, see attachment) which guides our programs in the development of mutually beneficial partnerships with schools.

The Educational Leadership Option at KSC offers a M.Ed. Principal Certification track (36 credits) or a Post-Master’s track (27 credits). All candidates for the M.Ed. and Post-Masters Certificate programs complete 27 credits of coursework and field experiences required for principal certification. Candidates also complete key assessments associated with the coursework and field experiences. Masters’ candidates participate in an additional applied research sequence of courses (9 credits). Typically, candidates finish the program in 2-3 years, part-time. The State of New Hampshire does not require a content knowledge standardized test for certification of school principals.

Keene State College and the Southwest Center for Educational Support at KSC (SW Center) formally established the Regional School Leadership Consortium (RSLC). A New Hampshire Department of Education Title IIA grant supported this effort at KSC. The purpose of the RSLC is to collaborate with a consortium of school districts in the Southwestern NH region to design professional learning opportunities, including graduate program options, in support of teacher and principal leadership development. The RSLC also services in an advisory capacity for the Educational Leadership program (see attachments for RSLC documents). The Educational Leadership Faculty Coordinator is also a member of the statewide NH Institutions of Higher Education Network (IHE Network) subcommittee on Educational Leadership. This committee developed a Conceptual Framework for Leadership Participation which was endorsed by 14 IHEs including KSC.