Admission to the program requires:

• Master’s degree in education or a certification-related area, with a 3.0 GPA or better
• Teacher or school counselor certification
• School Building Leader certification
• Three years of K-12 school experience

Students in the Advanced Certificate in School District leadership program meet the National Educational Leadership Program (NELP) standards for District level administrators. 

1. Mission, Vision, and Improvement
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to collaboratively lead, design, and implement a district mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.

2. Ethics and Professional Norms
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms.

3. Equity, Inclusiveness, and Cultural Responsiveness
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive district culture.

4. Learning and Instruction
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment.

5. Community and External Leadership
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to engage families, community, and other constituents in the work of schools and the district and to advocate for district, student, and community needs.

6. Operations and Management
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to  develop, monitor, evaluate, and manage data-informed and equitable district systems for operations, resources, technology, and human capital management.

7. Policy, Governance, and Advocacy
Candidates who successfully complete a district-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the present and future success and wellbeing of students and district personnel by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to cultivate relationships, lead collaborative decision making and governance, and represent and advocate for district needs in broader policy conversations. 

8. Internship
Candidates successfully complete an internship under the supervision of knowledgeable, expert practitioners that engages candidates in multiple and diverse district settings and provides candidates with coherent, authentic, and sustained opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP Standards 1–7 in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of district-level leaders and enable them to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in their district

The full text of these standards and the components can be found at: https://www.npbea.org/nelp/ 

• Advanced Certificate – School Building Leader (SBL)
• Advanced Certificate – School District Leader (SDL)

Offered through St. Bonaventure’s Educational Leadership program, the School Building Leader (SBL) certificate prepares experienced school personnel to take on a leadership position, in particular the role of school principal, in a public or private school in New York state. Students entering the SBL program are, without exception, working school teachers or counselors.

The School District Leader (SDL) certificate is the credential required for those seeking to lead a school district in New York state. St. Bonaventure requires entrants to the SDL program to have completed the coursework for the SBL certification. Students entering the SDL are working school personnel — teachers, counselors or principals.

Some students earning the SBL/SDL certificate will serve a school in administrative positions other than principal or superintendent, e.g., director of special education, curriculum coordinator or athletic director. Similarly, students earning the SBL/SDL may find employment with an agency that serves schools — a regional Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), for example.

Helpful websites
Excellent information on the SBL and SDL professions is available on the School Administrators Association of New York State website.

An excellent overview of careers in educational administration, including the outlook for jobs, wages, work settings and skills required, is available at O*NET Online.

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