Reflect. Collaborate. Transform.
Northeastern Illinois University believes in the power of academic excellence, community and access to opportunity. By preparing students with the skills they need to succeed, they too carry these values into the work they do. Through our academic programs, dedicated faculty and flexible day, evening and weekend classes, students learn to lead in and outside of the classroom.
Cultivating New Leaders
In the fall of 2016, the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education is welcoming students to the Community and Teacher Leaders programs. Students have three options: they can attain a master’s degree, a master's degree with an endorsement, or if they already hold a master’s degree and license, they can attain only an endorsement.
Community and Teacher Leaders Graduate Program
The Master of Arts in Community and Teacher Leaders (MACTL) is designed to develop knowledge and skills to foster reflective, collaborative and transformative leaders in both community and school settings. Students will learn to harness the collective knowledge of community members and educators to have a positive impact on community and school success in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Instructional strategies include research, inquiry, analysis, and evaluation as well as digital literacy and technology skills.
Students complete the master’s program in 30 credit hours of coursework in one of the following:
Community-based Leader concentration: provides knowledge and skills that foster leadership in ethical and culturally sensitive public engagement; acknowledges and considers the complexities of local and global communities; and leverages community assets to promote social justice.
School-based Teacher Leader concentration: provides knowledge and skills related to leadership, mentoring and professional development; promotes school culture that focuses on student learning; uses data to improve educational outcomes; and builds collaborative relationships with stakeholders. This concentration leads to the Teacher Leader Endorsement.
Teacher Leader Endorsement
The Teacher Leader Endorsement (only) program builds upon one’s own classroom experience, knowledge, and skills to further develop leadership and mentoring capacity that may be used in school or district-wide (but not in the capacity of a school principal). Students must have a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited university and hold a current Illinois teaching license. The program builds leadership skills by using research and data to improve educational outcomes, by increasing digital literacy and learning, and by fostering collaborative relationships within the school and community. These leadership skills will help to promote the understanding of diverse student populations in schools so as to develop personal and school-wide success that will ultimately improve the classroom, curriculum, student learning, and school culture.
Students complete the endorsement in 15 credit hours of coursework within three semesters.
View Teacher Leader Endorsement
Prospective Students' Frequently Asked Questions.
Need More Information?
To learn more about the master’s degree or endorsement, please contact Santiago Tapia, Coordinator of Student Services, s-tapia@neiu.edu, or fill out our Request Information form below.
