Focus on School Curriculum With an Online Master’s Degree

Teachers who want to pursue an online master’s degree in education have many options from which they can choose. One of emphases available is in school curriculum. Students who earn a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction are prepared to go into a variety of new areas in education, such as administration or curriculum development.

What Does an Emphasis in School Curriculum Teach?

A handful of online master’s degrees in education programs offer school curriculum as an emphasis. The courses offered through these programs teach students a wide variety of skills necessary to lead in education, often combining leadership skills and techniques with critical and analytical skills, communication and collaboration skills, and organizational and management skills. All of these skills work toward preparing the student to serve as an administrator.

Preparation for the Future

Students who complete an online master’s degree in education with emphasis in school curriculum are prepared to face the challenges of contemporary learning. As the Association of School Curriculum Directors notes, the future of education “calls for a cultural shift toward a society that values interconnectivity and community responsibility.” Rather than focus on a particular model or device, future educators would benefit from learning how these shifts are occurring and ways to address them in the classroom.

School Curriculum Directors

School curriculum directors are at the forefront of these shifts in educational cultures. Bill Daggett, director with the New York State Education Department, summarizes the challenges facing school curriculum directors: “highly effective and rapidly improving schools look closely at the needs and opportunities of the shifting landscape and then address these new realities with … intentional, proactive, and systemic ways.” That is, school curriculum directors are best equipped to meet these challenges because of skills learned in their respective programs.

An online master’s degree in education is often the path that future school curriculum directors choose. While technology can intimidate many teachers, it is important to keep up with changing educational technology and how it works within school curricula. Equipped with the skills and knowledge from these online master’s degree in education programs, school curriculum directors can lead fellow educators into the developing world of technology in education.

Learn more about the Arkansas State online MSE in Curriculum & Instruction program.

Sources:

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol10/1012-toc.aspx

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol10/1012-daggett.aspx