School and District Leadership Programs

The University of Redlands School of Education School and District Leadership programs center on social and educational justice to produce leaders in education with cultural sensitivity and awareness of structural issues that students from diverse backgrounds face every day. Students are introduced to complex theories of education leadership, social justice, and organizational change and challenged to apply these theories in real-world contexts.

Preliminary Administrative Services Credential

The Administrative Services Credential authorizes the holder to provide the following services in grades 12 and below, including preschool, and in classes organized primarily for adults:

  • Develop, coordinate, and assess instructional programs.
  • Evaluate certificated and classified personnel.
  • Provide students’ discipline, including but not limited to, suspension and expulsion.
  • Provide certificated and classified employees discipline, including but not limited to, suspension, dismissal, and reinstatement.
  • Supervise certificated and classified personnel.
  • Manage school site, district, or county level fiscal services.
  • Recruit, employ, and assign certificated and classified personnel.
  • Develop, coordinate, and supervise student support services, including but not limited to extracurricular activities, pupil personnel services, health services, library services, and technology support services.

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Choose your Path

Credential Only 3 Semesters/1 year 18 Units
Masters with Credential 6 Semesters/2 years 36 Units
Ed.D with Credential 3-4 Years 60 Units

 

Our graduates are equipped with the tools to confront and combat these issues, spurring change for good in school systems across California and the United States. To learn more about this program, as well as the California credentialing system, request information today. 

Tuition and fees can be viewed here.

Admission Requirements

Important Deadline Information:  Please refer to the Application and Enrollment Calendar for deadlines.

Learn more about the application process >


  1. Completed application 
  2. Evidence of a bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution 
  3. Evidence of a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or an approved petition* 
  4. One (1) official transcript issued by the Registrar of each institution attended, sent directly to the Office of Graduate and Professional Enrollment.  
  5. Two (2) letters of recommendation from faculty or professionals who know your work 
  6. Personal Statement: Essay of 500 words describing personal experience and interests in relationship to educational administration.  
  7. Certificate of Clearance
  8. Meet the Basic Skills Requirement
  9. Clear or Life Credential
    To be eligible for admission, students must possess a clear or life credential and have completed at least three years of full-time teaching or professional service (related to their credential) before beginning the program. 
  • A valid clear or life California credential
  • Teacher Credential with English Learner Authorization
  • Pupil Personnel Services Credential 
  • Teacher Librarian Services Credential 
  • Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential 
  • Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential
  • School Nurse Services Credential

10. Evidence of at least three years of full-time teaching or professional service. Full-time service means service for a minimum of four hours per day for at least three-fourths of the total days in the school year. Substitute or part-time service does not apply.

11. GRE scores (optional)

*Students who do not have the minimum GPA must submit a GPA petition to the School of Education along with 2 additional letters of recommendation from different academicians/professionals. 

Program Learning Outcomes

In addition to the formal student learning objectives laid out in the state established California Administrator Performance Expectations (CAPE) and California Administrator Content Expectations (CACE), the program curricula are designed to meet the following program outcomes: 

  1. Students will master theoretical knowledge that they can deploy in districts and schools.  Specifically, this knowledge will help them to describe, explain, or predict, if not ultimately affect, behavior that influences institutional effectiveness  

  1. Students will master the process of reflection and demonstrate their ability to apply it. Specifically, they will learn to critique their behavior and outcomes in relation to existing professional knowledge. 

  1. Students will use reflective practice to produce tacit knowledge.  Specifically, they will interface theory and experience by analyzing their decisions in relation to contextual variables in schools. 

  1. Students will use multiple theories to frame and reframe leadership challenges.  By reframing leadership challenges, students will have the ability to think about a situation from more than one angle, to understand the complexity of leadership challenges, and to develop alternative diagnoses and strategies. 

Coursework & Program Pathways

The coursework and field experience segments of the program are delivered in a prescribed sequence. Pathways are recommended for timely program completion. 

For course descriptions, please view the most recent university catalog.


Preliminary Administrative Services Credential Pathway

MA in Education: School & District Leadership Pathway

EdD Leadership for Educational Justice Pathway

 

Credential Program Requirements

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) has developed the California Administrator Performance Assessment (CalAPA) to measure students’ mastery of selected California Administrator Performance Expectations (CAPE). 

The program curriculum has been designed, in part, to help students prepare for and be successful in taking the CalAPA.  Students will take CalAPA cycles as part of their work in Leadership Labs, in conjunction with supporting coursework. While the program will support students in CalAPA preparation, students are solely responsible for completing CalAPA registration and paying for each cycle of the test. 

Learn more about Credential Program Requirements