The M.A. in Community and Teacher Leaders is different from other programs because it allows students to:
- Enroll in an affordable cohort model master's program
- Complete a master's degree in approximately a year and a half
- Have the option to enroll in a teacher leader endorsement only sequence that consists of five courses (15 credit hours). This option is offered to students who have earned an M.A. already and a license to teach in Illinois.
- Engage in a program that was intentionally designed for developing community and teacher leaders alongside one another
- Take classes in a variety of formats (hybrid, evening, Saturdays) with Educational Foundations (EDFN) faculty and community based leaders
- Select electives university wide courses, depending on the student's interests and needs
- Transfer graduate credit earned outside Northeastern Illinois University
- Gather data and present research findings that are of interest to the student
- Focus on how community impacts learning and how the teacher leader needs to resource the community to increase effectiveness
Students enrolled in the M.A. in Community and Teacher Leaders will:
- Create connections between communities and schools in an effort to form partnerships that benefit all members of the neighborhood (students, teachers, parents/guardians, families, and community businesses and residents)
- Build a working knowledge of social justice and critical theory as it relates to curriculum development, schooling, and leadership with schools and/or communities
- Connect theory to practice and develop as future community and teacher leaders sensitive to how multiple identities, social location, and circumstances impact youth, educators, and neighborhoods
