Become a change agent in education, leading schools as an innovative district leader. Loyola University Chicago seeks to prepare district-level leaders to be responsive and adaptive, viewing superintendent candidates as apprentice professionals from the time they enter the program and fostering their development of reflective learning and transformative leadership skills. Because superintendent candidates are in school districts observing, learning, and honing their own skills in Chicagoland’s diverse school districts, candidates gain extensive experiences engaging with diverse populations, including diverse learners, special needs and English learners programs.

Loyola's Superintendent Endorsement is designed for students who will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be highly effective district leaders. Students pursuing this endorsement have already received an EdD or a PhD in an educational field and wish to gain their Superintendent Endorsement/License in the state of Illinois.

We strive to purposefully dismantle traditional boundaries between institution-based and field-based scholarly work and service; to build trust and deep, lasting relationships with our partners in education; to understand that we must work not for communities but to be of those communities; working shoulder to shoulder with partners, communities and families, sharing their commitment and responsibility to address their needs, priorities, and goals from a social justice perspective.

CURRICULUM

All courses will be delivered online in the evening. Asynchronous learning modules, embedded field-based experiences, and group projects will support synchronous class meetings. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ELPS 461	Issues in School Law	3
ELPS 465	Workshop (Variable Topics) (Instructional Leadership: Cultural Context Informed Decision Making (Rome Center) )	3
or ELPS 408	Leading for Diversity
ELPS 465	Workshop (Variable Topics) (The Superintendency)	3
ELPS 468	Problems in Finance and Business Management	3
ELPS 472	Administration of Special Education and Pupil Services	3
ELPS 475	Human Resource Administration for the School District Leader	3
ELPS 560	Seminar in School Administration	3
ELPS 485	Instructional Leadership: Equity and Justice	3
ELPS 562	Practicum School Administration	3
ELPS 562	Practicum School Administration	3
ELPS 571	Seminar in Current Issues in School Supervision	3
Total Hours		33

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Summer		Hours
ELPS 560	Seminar in School Administration	3
ELPS 465	Workshop (Variable Topics) (The Superintendency)	3
	Hours	6
Fall
ELPS 485	Instructional Leadership: Equity and Justice	3
ELPS 571	Seminar in Current Issues in School Supervision	3
	Hours	6
Spring
ELPS 472	Administration of Special Education and Pupil Services	3
ELPS 475	Human Resource Administration for the School District Leader	3
	Hours	6
Year 2
Summer
ELPS 468	Problems in Finance and Business Management	3
ELPS 465	Workshop (Variable Topics) (Instructional Leadership: Cultural Context-Informed Decision Making (Rome Center))	3
	Hours	6
Fall
ELPS 461	Issues in School Law	3
ELPS 562	Practicum School Administration	3
	Hours	6
Spring
ELPS 562	Practicum School Administration	3
	Hours	3
	Total Hours	33

Program Requirements

• Submitted proof of 2 years of experience working full time as a principal, director of special education, or chief school business official, or other administrative position while holding a valid administrator license.
• Completion of a doctoral program in the field of education.
• Successful completion of Loyola’s ISBE-approved course sequence
• Successful completion of supervised yearlong internship - PK-12
• Successful completion of IPA or AA Learning Modules: Principal Evaluators Training
• Passing score on IL’s Superintendent Exam #225.

Program Format

The Superintendent Endorsement Certificate is an online program which means that all courses, including field supervision, are offered online. All advising sessions for leadership development and support will be hosted online for district leadership candidates. 

Illinois Licensure Requirements

Students in the Superintendent Preparation Program are required to pass the ILTS 225 exam through the Illinois State Board of Education.

Continuous Enrollments

Students in Educational Leadership are required to maintain the status of continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education’s Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Loyola's Superintendent Endorsement program is intended to:

• Prepare district leaders who will successfully construct and apply knowledge to positively impact the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and school communities;
• Provide diverse learning opportunities for district leadership candidates to develop and demonstrate collaboration and communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships;
• Cultivate, supervise, and assess field-based learning opportunities to analyze problems of practice and use multiple administrative frameworks and leadership lenses to develop meaningful solutions;
• Develop a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical and research knowledge, links theory to systemic and systematic inquiry, and emphasizes the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge and practice to address educational inequities in our field.