2023-24 Academic Catalog

Professional Administrator License

Purpose

The Professional Administrator License program is designed to prepare competent and ethical leaders to meet the personnel needs of schools in Oregon. This can best be accomplished by partnering with public and private schools to identify and develop leaders who have an equal commitment to developing these skills with faith, vision, and love as their foundation.

George Fox University offers candidates the opportunity to earn as many as two licenses that prepare educators to serve in Oregon public schools as K-12 building or district-level administrators. The Professional Administrator License can be earned as a stand-alone license past the master's degree or as part of the doctoral program.

Program Outcomes

Educational Objectives

To enable students to:

  • Understand the developmental needs of students at all authorization levels
  • Be able to conduct and use research as a tool for improving a learning organization
  • Understand the goals of the Oregon Content Standards and how to use them as a guide in assessing each school's goals and evaluating progress

Professional Objectives

To enable students to:

  • Be prepared to lead teachers in helping students meet the standards and in continuing their professional development
  • Understand current school practices and work within the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context to facilitate new ways of helping all students become productive citizens

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Professional Administrator License program must hold an approved Master's degree such as a master of arts in teaching (MAT) degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. For applicants with an undergraduate college degree only, the applicant must complete a master's or higher degree including the approved Professional Administrator License program. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Administrator License Program application and application fee
  • Verification of valid Oregon teaching license
  • Verification of at least three years of successful licensed administrative experience at the half-time level or above (.5 FTE), in public schools or regionally accredited private schools, education service districts, state-operated or federal schools, or any private schools registered by the Oregon Department of Education
  • Evidence of leadership potential based on assessments of skills in leadership, management, and human relations as supported by supervisors' recommendations
  • Completed Teachers Standards and Practices Character Questionnaire

Transfer Credit

Upon approval by the department, transfer of up to 3 hours credit is allowed toward the Professional Administrator License program. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Of the 18 hours required for the Professional Administrator License program, a minimum of 15 hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the license program must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the School of Education (SOE) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Course Requirements

The Professional Administrator License program is generally 1-3 years in length with 18 semester hours of course work required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 15 are core educational courses and 3 are practicum.

Other Program Requirements

The university and site mentors will meet to verify the candidate's demonstration and documentation of the following knowledge, skills, and competencies listed in OAR 584-420-0070. Each candidate assembles a portfolio that documents satisfactory performance in the TSPC standards listed in OAR 584-420-0070 (10):

  • Mission, Vision and Core Values - Develops, articulates, implements, and stewards a vision by promoting community involvement.
  • Ethics and Professionalism - Promotes the success and well-being of each student, teacher and leader by modeling and setting the norms for ethical and responsible behavior.
  • Equity and Cultural Leadership - Promotes a thriving district culture built upon equity and excellence.
  • Instructional Leadership - Promotes systems of learning and instruction that are equitable and inclusive.
  • Community and External Leadership - Engages and partners with the external community in ways that enhance and support the learning within the district.
  • Management of People, Data and Processes - Aligns and manages resources such as finances, personnnel and policies in ways that cohesively serve the district's mission.
  • Policy, Governance, Advocacy, and Sociopolitical Leadership - Builds positive board relationships and understands and advocates within the larger context of state and local policy, law and guidance in service of the district mission.
  • Clinical Practice - Engage in substantial and sustained educational leadership clinical experiences.

Graduation Requirements

In order to complete the Professional Administrator License program students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 18 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).

Curriculum Plan

Complete the following:

This is a core requirement of the Professional Administrative Licensure program and requires admission to the doctoral program, the Professional Administrative Licensure program, or specific advisor approval. This course focuses on district-level leadership roles and the importance of shared vision. Participants will assess their management styles in light of the requirements of various upper-level management positions in a variety of educational organizations. The class will examine how education districts of various sizes organize to maximize learning and to perform necessary functions as required by state and national mandates. Topics include establishing a vision for the organization, empowering others to lead, human resource selection and development, working with other leaders, making public presentations, and dealing with hostile constituents.
This is a core requirement of the Professional Administrative Licensure program and requires admission to the doctoral program, the Professional Administrative Licensure program, or specific advisor approval. This course focuses on leadership responsibilities of specialized programs. The class will examine how educators can navigate federal mandates for special programs using Oregon's statutes, administrative rules, and agencies as a model. Participants will be involved through discussions, simulations, and presentations utilizing materials and personnel from a variety of educational organizations. Course topics include: administrating special programs (e.g., special education, talented and gifted, English as a second language); dealing with curricular and legal issues encountered in delivering these services to children; and developing strategies to improve the academic performance of students through special programs. Additional emphasis will be placed on emerging leadership strategies to address the needs of alternative education students.
This is a core requirement of the Professional Administrative Licensure program and requires admission to the doctoral program, the Professional Administrative Licensure program, or specific advisor approval. The role of the school superintendent is increasingly challenging and requires specialized knowledge and skills to avoid common pitfalls. This course provides practical knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the superintendent role focusing on school board relations and communication, facility development, collective bargaining, grievance resolution, board meeting management, board member development, and advanced personnel issues such as dismissal and sexual harassment investigation.
This is a core requirement of the Professional Administrative Licensure program and requires admission to the doctoral program, the Professional Administrative Licensure program, or specific advisor approval. This course surveys the principles and practices useful to the evaluation of organizational programs and policies. Participants examine the models and tools used in informing educational and other leaders as to evaluation purpose, design, and methods for understanding the role of evaluation in program planning, implementation, and accountability. The course focuses on understanding: the purposes of evaluation, the role of the evaluator, evaluation designs and analysis, presentation of evaluation results, and the role of evaluation conclusions in organizational decision making.
This is a core requirement of the Professional Administrative Licensure program and requires admission to the doctoral program, the Professional Administrative Licensure program, or specific advisor approval. Educational leaders must balance the allocation of scarce resources among competing interests while managing the organizational structure and empowering those who support the organizational mission. This course prepares educators to address the value tensions inherent in the allocation of resources and the educational consequences linked to those fiscal decisions. Issues of efficiency, equity, adequacy, and control in educational finance will be specifically addressed from historical, economic, moral, legal, and political perspectives. The course also provides a critical analysis of organizations, how they function, why people in organizations behave as they do, and examines the formal and informal decision-making structures that affect educational organizations.

Complete the following:

Practicum experiences are carried out at building or district level of responsibility under the direct supervision of a university supervisor and a licensed district administrator as mentor. Practicum experiences are supplemented by online administrative academic projects that focus on advanced competencies of administration. The supervisors, mentors and candidates will communicate in site meetings, virtually and online. Pass/No Pass
Practicum experiences will continue at a district level of responsibility. Practicum experiences are supplemented by online administrative academic projects that focus on advanced competencies of administration. The supervisors, mentors and candidates will communicate in site meetings, virtually and online. Pass/No Pass
The two semesters of practicum have the components of on-site district-level experiences, and a professional portfolio. Practicum experiences may begin at the start of the Professional Administrator program for contract administrators or on the approval of the program director. Administrator License candidates will begin their professional portfolio at the start of ADMN 648 Professional Administrator Practicum I. Candidates will add to the portfolio throughout their practicum, ending with ADMN 649 Professional Administrator Practicum II. Each candidate assembles a portfolio that documents satisfactory performance in the TSPC standards listed in OAR 584-420-0070(10). Concurrent enrollment may be approved by the program director.