Progressive Leadership Program – MSEd, EdM

Educational leadership for positive academic change.

Bank Street’s Progressive Leadership Program is a master’s degree program in K-12 educational leadership designed for passionate educators who want to effect positive change by preparing for a range of leadership roles at the school, district, state, and national levels. Our rigorous and 100% online coursework and guided fieldwork will help you learn to make a difference from the inside. As an aspiring leader, you will have the support of like-minded educators, studying strategies of progressive educational reform as you get ready to join the next generation of leaders.

Bank Street has three decades of experience preparing exceptional leadership candidates through our Progressive Leadership Program. Our graduates become qualified for many positions, including educational administrator, assistant principal, and principal. Through 100% online coursework, this program will prepare you for either the Master of Education, or the Master of Science in Education, and for the School Building Leader (K-12) certification.

Take the Lead
with Bank Street

You will study:

  • Current and historical administrative practices and theories with respect to creating culturally responsive learning environments.
  • Organizational development issues and the relationship between school management and instructional leadership.
  • Current school reform efforts and the processes of change leading to staff empowerment and enhancing school effectiveness.
  • The roles and functions of the school leader in curriculum and instruction including how to be a discerning consumer of curriculum.
  • Many topics, including adult development, action research, education policy and law, diversity and equity and more.

Educational leadership is for you if:

  • You are an experienced educator who is ready to make a difference through leadership.
  • You want to work as a progressive school leader.
  • You want to build on your skills to address the challenges of education reform within schools.
  • You want to earn your Master of Science in Education or a Master of Education if you have a prior master’s degree.

Progressive Leadership Program

Make a difference as a leader for positive educational change.

Bank Street’s Progressive Leadership Program is a master’s degree program designed for passionate educators who want to effect positive change by preparing for a range of leadership roles at the school, district, state, and national levels. Our rigorous and 100% online coursework and guided fieldwork will help you learn to make a difference from the inside. As an aspiring leader, you will have the support of like-minded educators, studying strategies of progressive educational reform as you get ready to join the next generation of leaders.

Bank Street has three decades of experience preparing exceptional leadership candidates through our Progressive Leadership Program. Our graduates become qualified for many positions, including educational administrator, assistant principal, and principal. Through 100% online coursework, this program will prepare you for either the Master of Education, or the Master of Science in Education, and for the School Building Leader (K-12) certification.

Take the LEAD
with Bank Street

You will learn:

  • Leadership in curriculum and instruction
  • Education policy, advocacy and law
  • Research for educational change
  • Special education leadership
  • School change and the transformational leader
  • Supervision of professional development

This program is for you if:

  • You are an experienced educator who is motivated to make a greater impact on your schools and communities through leadership.
  • You want to work as a progressive school leader.
  • You want to build on your skills to tackle the challenges of education reform within schools.
  • You want to earn your Master of Science in Education or Master of Education.

RELATED PROGRAMS:
Early Childhood Leadership
School District Leader

The Progressive Leadership Program can advance your educational leadership options

Stand out as a highly prepared candidate for assistant principal or principal roles in grades pre-K through 12.

Complete your requirements for School Building Leader (SBL) and/or School District Leader (SDL) advanced certifications.

Open pathways to many leadership positions within your school district.

Stand out as a highly prepared candidate for assistant principal or principal roles in grades pre-K through 12.

Complete your requirements for School Building Leader (SBL) and/or School District Leader (SDL) advanced certifications.

Open pathways to many leadership positions within your school district.

Courses Required to Complete Your Certificate

Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement

Supervised fieldwork/advisement is at the heart of a Bank Street education. Through sustained experiences in the field, supervision from core faculty, and close collaboration with peers, our graduate students develop the ability to connect theory to practice and to reflect deeply on their own growth as educators. In this program:

  • You will be supervised by a Bank Street advisor who is an experienced New York City school leader.
  • Supervised fieldwork extends over the full duration of the program and is generally located at the site where you currently work, with visits from your advisor and mentoring from your site supervisor.
  • In Bank Street’s unique Conference Group seminar held during your supervised fieldwork placement, you and a small group of fellow graduate students meet regularly with a Bank Street advisor to examine your classroom and fieldwork experiences to develop yourself as a leader.

Credit(s) 3.0

In this seminar, students examine the developmental periods of young, middle, and later years in the human life cycle, with a broad multicultural approach to learning and development. Studies and research are reviewed. Emphasis is given to developmental characteristics that have implications for professional growth and development.

Credit(s) 3.0   |   This course is offered as a blended or fully online course

This course focuses on the roles and functions of the school leader in the spheres of curriculum and instruction. It covers the principles and processes that inform curriculum development. At the same time, in keeping with the realities faced by today’s school building leaders, it focuses intensively on the knowledge and tools needed to be discerning consumers and negotiators of curriculum. Finally, the course explores leadership in curriculum and instruction as a means of inspiring, guiding and effecting school change.

Credit(s) 3.0

Current administrative thought is examined in the context of its historical, economic, philosophical, and sociocultural political bases. Selected theories of administration and recent administrative practices are analyzed with respect to creating learning environments that are responsive to the multicultural constituencies of schools.

Credit(s) 3.0

This course examines theory, research, and practice related to organizational development. It covers a wide range of issues related to capacity-building, school vision and culture, and problem solving, and focuses on the relationship between school management and instructional leadership. Students have opportunities to integrate theory and research with administrative practice through readings, small-group work, simulation experiences, observations, interviews, protocols, and case studies.

Credit(s) 3.0

Current school reform efforts emphasize vision, shared decision making, professional autonomy, positive school structure, and restructuring. How are these concepts being realized in current practice? What choices and constraints accompany the processes of change and staff empowerment? In this course, students examine the concepts which face principals in enhancing the effectiveness of schools, as well as the competencies of planning, joint decision making, problem solving, and negotiation. Course work complements and is tailored to the Principals Institute internship experience. For Principals Institute/Teacher Leader/BETLA students only.

Credit(s) 3.0

Designed for students who are preparing for supervisory roles or who are actively engaged in such roles, this course focuses on the objectives, functions, and evaluation of the supervisory experience within multicultural educational institutions. Organizational, cultural, and human variables that may facilitate or impede effective supervision are identified, and strategies to maximize or minimize their impact are generated. Supervisory attitudes and skills aimed at increasing professional growth in individual and group supervision are synthesized from a variety of supervisory models with particular attention given to the clinical supervision model.

Credit(s) 3.0  

This course is designed to enable leaders, teachers, special educators and others to be effective consumers of research, as well as to plan and carry out research in response to specific educational questions. Stages of the research process are discussed. Students analyze and evaluate research in the areas of leadership, school effectiveness, administration and supervision, teaching, and curriculum reform and apply the findings to their everyday roles as educational leaders. It is expected that this course will be valuable for those matriculated students who are initiating projects to satisfy the Independent Study requirement. The format consists of lectures and discussions of the stages of the research process. Class members participate in a project involving research design, data collection, and analysis.

Credit(s) 3.0

This course provides an overview of IDEA and its implications for leading teaching and learning in schools and districts. Students will explore leadership challenges in creating and sustaining learning environments that support progress toward less restrictive educational alternatives and access to the general education curriculum for linguistically and culturally diverse students with disabilities. Topics include special education law and advocacy, study of the continuum of services and models of inclusion, accountability, databased decision-making and implications for curricular design, and adaptation and professional development.

Credit(s) 2.0

This course meets New York State certification requirements for School Building Leadership (SBL) internship experiences. Through close work with a faculty advisor and peers, participants apply their learning from coursework to their field experiences, integrating theory and practice as they reflect on their own professional development. Interns work with a site supervisor and are given substantial school-based responsibilities that involve direct interaction and involvement with staff, students, families, and community leaders. Participants develop the capacity to build and support a positive school culture, build teams, enlist collaboration, and plan and sustain change efforts. Graduate students in advisement participate in small-group sessions with their advisors over 18 months. Participants also serve in a summer internship at a site that is different from their usual work site. At the end of supervised fieldwork, each candidate presents a comprehensive portfolio of internship experiences which meets the program’s Integrative Master’s Project requirement.

Credit(s) 0.0   |   This course is offered as a blended or fully online course

Anyone applying for certification after February 2, 2001 must complete two hours of training on school violence prevention and intervention. This workshop includes training in effective classroom management techniques, identifying the warning signs of violent and other troubling behavior, and intervention techniques for resolving violent incidents in the school. (Offered only to matriculated students.)

Credit(s) 0.0   |   This course is offered as a blended or fully online course

All adults working with children under eighteen years of age are required by NY State law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. This course will help you learn to identify symptoms of child abuse and neglect and will provide you with information about the required procedures for reporting abuse. (Only offered to matriculated students.)

Credit(s) 0.0

Anyone applying for certification must complete six hours of training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying, and discrimination. This workshop includes training in identifying indicators, early warning signs, prevention, and intervention techniques, and how to interact with families of victims and aggressors.

Admissions Criteria

In addition to the main admissions criteria, there are additional requirements needed to apply for this program:

  • Employment as a teacher or pupil personnel provider.
  • Excellent academic record and references reflecting strong leadership potential.
  • If you are seeking New York State SBL certification, you must have successfully completed three years of teaching or pupil personnel service work in N-12 settings.
  • One letter of recommendation must come from a current supervisor (Assistant Principal, Principal, Site Director, Head of School, etc.).

Master of Science in Education

Three additional elective credits approved by the program director are needed to complete the requirements for this program.

Certifications

Completion of the Progressive Leadership program leads to:

  • New York State School Building Leader (SBL) certification for those who meet experience requirements and pass the state assessments.

Graduates of the Progressive Leadership program are eligible to take our 5-credit School District Leader sequence and be eligible for:

  • New York State School District Leader (SDL) certification for those who meet the experience and credit requirements, and who pass the state assessments.

Dave Baiz
GSE ’13

Meet our alumni

“The institute gave me a chance to sit down with our colleagues and professors and have a space to dream, to really think about where it is that I can make the most change. I was well prepared to tackle the challenges I face as a principal in New York City.”

Frequently Asked Questions

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Application and Registration

Is there an application fee?

Yes, there is a $65 application fee.

Yes, there are other fees. Please visit the Bank Street main website for complete information.

The per-credit cost for the 2021-2022 academic year is $1,710, starting with the Fall 2021 Term. There are scholarships and financial aid available to support your participation in the program. Please contact your Application Specialist at 212-652-8722 to find out more about tuition and financial aid at Bank Street.

Yes, each year, Bank Street’s Office of Financial Aid administers over $8.5 million in financial aid to students. Our scholarship program makes the cost of attending Bank Street College of Education competitive with most other private schools.

All students interested in receiving financial aid must complete and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).  Students must also complete the admissions application and indicate that they are interested in applying for financial aid, and complete the scholarship application section in this form.  Please remember that in order to complete the FAFSA, you will need your federal tax returns. The FAFSA becomes available annually on October 1st and can be accessed at the Federal Student Aid website. Bank Street’s Title IV Code is G02669 (G ZERO 2669).

Yes, if you have been admitted, you will reply to confirm your enrollment. A $250 enrollment fee will be due with this form to secure your spot in the incoming class.

Yes, students are required to have a bachelor’s degree to be eligible for admission.

In accordance with a new bill passed in November 2021, Bank Street Graduate School of Education has eliminated the requirement of entrance exams (GRE/MAT)  effective immediately.

Our programs are varied enough to meet the needs of all qualified college graduates with or without prior experience in teaching, administration, or other human service fields. However, we do feel it is important for you to have some experience working with children so that you feel confident that this career choice is grounded in a realistic understanding of yourself and of children.

Our programs are varied enough to meet the needs of all qualified college graduates with or without prior experience in teaching, administration, or other human service fields. However, we do feel it is important for you to have some experience working with children so that you feel confident that this career choice is grounded in a realistic understanding of yourself and of children.

Course Information

When can I start my program?

There are three start dates offered per year. The Summer semester begins in May, Fall semester begins in September, and Spring begins in January. Contact a Bank Street Graduate School Online Application Specialist at 212-652-8722 to find the next start date that works with your schedule.

The length of the program will depend upon the specific course of study that you select and how many credit hours per semester you complete.

Supervised fieldwork at Bank Street is usually a year-long, intensive learning experience and is central to nearly all our programs. Some programs require one semester of supervised fieldwork; some programs have unique schedules spreading supervised fieldwork over three or four terms. During supervised fieldwork/advisement, you work with a faculty advisor who is experienced in your area of study. In addition, you will also work in a conference group with about six other students in your program, and your advisor.

The online courses are a mix of self-paced material and assignments, team assignments, and faculty-led discussions. We take the best of both fully online education and on-campus education: you will receive the same learner-focused content and active engagement that Bank Street is known for, but most of the work you do throughout a typical week will be completed according to your own schedule.

Each online course is held for the full academic semester, which is between 11 and 16 weeks in length (Summer semester is shorter). The weekly schedules will vary by course and credit hour.

Usually, as a student and with your program director’s approval, you will be able to use your own classroom for your supervised fieldwork setting as long as it is appropriate for the program to which you have applied.  You will need to have support from your principal or school director or from your Bank Street advisor as you do fieldwork at the school.  Your advisor will need to have access to your classroom

Certification

Is this an approved program for teacher or supervisor certification in New York state?

Yes, Bank Street’s teacher and supervisor preparation programs are approved in New York State. For more information about Bank Street’s New York State registered programs, please visit our NYSED.gov listing page.

If you want to get certified in another state after you complete your Bank Street program, you should start researching early. Contact the relevant State Department of Education for details on requirements and application procedures. Certification regulations vary by state, so it is best to obtain the information well in advance of your intended program completion date. For more information, please visit the Bank Street main website Outside of New York page.

Explore all of Bank Street’s graduate programs

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Take the Lead with Bank Street

Earn Your Masters In Educational Leadership ONLINE