Charter School Leadership Certificate

In partnership with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education, Southwest Minnesota State University has started a new program focusing on providing a Charter School Leadership Certificate designed to facilitate the development of effective Charter School leaders.

SMSU Success Model

Southwest Minnesota State University has a proven track record of over 20 years of fulfilling a need in graduate education by offering Master of Education programs throughout the upper Midwest in teaching, learning, and leadership, and also in K-12 administrative licensure. Some of the successful characteristics of this program are delivering content through a learning community model, taking the program ‘on the road’ to meet the needs of a given demographic (not being bound by campus location), and designing a curriculum best to prepare educators for today’s demands in the classroom. SMSU has replicated this model to meet the growing need for an effective leadership training program for charter schools throughout the state. To support this, SMSU contends that,

1. The credits earned in the certificate program will be transferable to a traditional MS Educational Administration and Leadership program with SMSU.
2. The certificate program will encourage more future Charter School leaders.
3. The time, customization, and specific learning targets will increase the likelihood of participation by the working Charter School professionals, filling the leadership void.
4. A one-year-long program (summer leadership academy; fall and spring semester courses) will appeal to Charter School professionals.
5. A Cohort Delivery Model, incorporating a variety of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, will make this program easily accessible and customized to meet the participants' learning needs.
6. Professors and instructors with first-hand Charter School experience will facilitate the courses being delivered; and
7. An embedded internship throughout the entire program, where participants are assigned to a Charter School mentor for support and guidance to ensure success, enhances the development of the program participants.

Course Sequence: 19 Credits
COMPLETE THIS IN ONE YEAR!

Charter School Needs

As research indicates, the demand for charter school leaders is rising. According to the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC), up to 21,000 charter leaders will be needed nationwide over the next seven years. Estimates put the number of charter leaders needed in Minnesota over the next five years at over 800 if no new charter schools are added. Currently, 164 charter schools in Minnesota serve approximately 57,000 K-12 students. Additionally, 39 officially recognized early learning programs are in Minnesota Charter Schools.

Currently, MN does not require Charter School leaders to be licensed by the state as administrators, but they must identify a professional growth plan that illustrates leadership capabilities.

According to the Policy Statement put out by the MN Association of Charter Schools,

SMSU sought a charter school partnership to begin exploring its Charter School Certificate Program. SMSU wanted to partner with a school of excellence and diversity, and Eagle Ride Academy (ERA) met that criterion. With 58% of the total population from minority populations, ERA has proven to be a leader in charter schools. Eagle Ridge Academy Charter School, established in 2004, has been identified by the MDE as a High Quality Charter School since 2014, and students have been in the 99th percentile in both MCA and ACT testing. ERA is currently collaborating and consulting with three different charter schools regarding leadership training, and the three leaders offer over 53 years of charter school experience. We feel Eagle Ridge Academy will provide a stable, working environment, strengthening the overall delivery of our certificate program.

• Charter School Flyers
• Charter School Faculty
• Course Curriculum