Like many executive admin jobs, administrators lead the clerical operations of their educational institution. They perform spreadsheets, plan budgets, organize employee files, and communicate with employees and outside parties. They work on both exterior and interior operations of their institution. Outside their institution, they attend school fundraisers and other public-relation events. Inside their institution, they are CEOs of their school or department, managing all aspects of school functioning.
Perhaps the most well known academic administration jobs are principal jobs. Principals manage elementary, middle, and high schools. They hire teachers, implement school policies, interact with outside parties, and closely monitor the school budget. They also establish programs at school for special-needs students, such as special education programs. They inspect each aspect of the school, from janitorial work to guidance counseling. If problems strike, they are the ones who provide final solutions.
An extremely important part of a principal’s work is drafting school policies and regulations. Principals write these in accordance with state policies. They enforce these rules by observing both students and teachers in the classroom and on the playground. They take any infraction of these policies with utmost seriousness. They may respond to serious infractions by suspending or dismissing students and teachers.
Administrators also carefully structure school curriculums and make sure they fulfill state requirements. If they work at high schools, they make sure to include many advanced-placement courses that boost students’ chances for entering college. At high schools, it is an essential administrator goal that students matriculate to good colleges following graduation. This matriculation record reflects well on the high school and contributes to its reputation, prompting more parents to enroll their children.
It also reflects well on schools if the principal runs a well-disciplined environment. With the rise of school shootings and other student violence, most parents are deeply concerned about school safety. Some principals hire security officers to inspect students’ backpacks before they enter the building. They also consult teachers and parents over cases of student bullying. Competent administrators take student bullying as seriously as they do a school-shooting threat. They consult with the victim, the bully, and both sets of parents. They may enforce disciplinary action on the bully, by suspending or expelling him. Many administrators are taking school bullying more seriously than ever due to its tendency to inflate into more violence.
Besides primary and secondary-education administrators, most colleges have jobs in higher education administration. In these settings, administrators may oversee financial aid programs, student-athletics departments, counseling programs, admission departments, and so forth. Each department of a college has at least one administrator to oversee. For instance, an English-department administrator, or dean, directs the curriculum for English courses at the college. The dean consults with professors who teach those courses, discussing course requirements. The dean also records high-achieving students.
College departments also have HR admin jobs that oversee payroll and other benefits. Moreover, there are administrators who take charge of student transcripts and other records.
At colleges, administrators are often organized into a hierarchy of managerial to director admin jobs. Some are business administration jobs while others require academic degrees. Many colleges have entry-level admin jobs for educational administrators who have just completed their bachelor’s degree. However, most education administrators obtain their master’s or doctorate degrees before advancing to higher positions. Primary and secondary administrators usually obtain advanced degrees in Educational Administration. Conversely, college administrators usually obtain advanced degrees in Higher Education, such as Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree. Specific educational requirements depend on the administrator’s field. For instance, entering the financial-aid department requires deep knowledge of finance and economics.
Many administrators also work admin jobs while undertaking advanced degrees. They may work as teachers, school counselors, junior-level administrators, accountants, corporate administrative assistants, and assistant principals. While they work these full time jobs, many administrators decide to obtain higher degrees through online university programs.
Public primary and secondary school administrators have to be licensed by their state department of education before obtaining full time education admin jobs. Moreover, preschool administrators must also obtain licensure and perhaps certification by the Child Development Association (CDA). Standard licensure requirements include having a master’s degree, passing an exam, and completing a minimum amount of on-the-job hours. Many states also require licensed administrators to take adult education courses to keep their skills up-to-date. Private school and college administrators, on the other hand, are not required by states to have licensure.
Administrators must have basic computer skills. They work mainly with Microsoft Office applications, such as Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets and Microsoft Access for databases.
Job growth will hold steady for education administrators in the coming years. Many baby-boomer administrators will retire, which will open up new admin job opportunities. Nonetheless, many people decide against becoming public education administrators due to recent budget cuts, which have added many new administrative duties to the job. Administrators must also keep track of new educational government regulations. Moreover, higher rates of school violence have turned many people away from the profession.
Yet, the income for administrators remains high. Most administrators who have obtained licensure make $80,000 or more yearly. Chief academic officers at colleges make the highest earnings, about $140,000 per year. College deans follow close behind, earning around $80,000 to $135,000 per year. Moreover, high-school principals make about $92,000 per year. All these school admin jobs have excellent benefits as well, such as 4-5 weeks of paid vacation.
