Strong administrative leadership is behind the long-term success rates of Massachusetts’ PreK-12 students. From nearly 400 school districts through over 1,700 public schools, solid administration enables the state’s nearly 77,000 full-time teachers to do their job well and ensure the next generation of movers and shakers are poised for achievement.
Massachusetts’ saw 913,735 students enrolled during the 2022-2023 school year. These students are fortunate to be in the New England area, which leads the nation in spending per student. And Massachusetts surpasses nearby Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island in per-pupil spending at $17,748, an amount that easily places it on the top-10 best states nationally in this category.
Massachusetts is also a national leader when it comes to high school graduation rates, tying for second-best at 93% with five other states.
Recognizing that education is the state’s future, spending on PreK-12 education enjoys widespread support. Right now the FY2023 budget stands at $9.2 billion for the Executive Office of Education, with $6.9 billion of that going to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Educational leaders who’ve come before you have done an admirable job of establishing a strong foundation throughout Massachusetts. But now it’s time for them to pass on the torch to you, as you prepare to advance your career beyond the classroom into a role that broadly shapes the future of tens-of-thousands.
To acquire the skills and knowledge for success in this new phase of your professional career you’ll need to research which graduate education program is best suited to your goals.
How to Become a Principal in Massachusetts – School-level Educational Leadership
You’ve decided you want to become a principal. The credential you need is an Academic Administrator License in the field of Principal/Assistant Principal, for either grades PreK-8 or grades 5-12.
Similar to your teacher license, this license has three levels:
- Provisional – If you meet certain minimum requirements you can work on this license while you pursue the requirements for an Initial License. If you already meet the requirements for an Initial License you can skip the Provisional License.
- Initial – You can qualify for this license once you’ve completed an approved educator preparation program (EPP), an internship/apprenticeship, and a panel review.
- Professional – You can qualify for this license once you have three years of experience on an Initial License.
The Provisional and Initial Licenses are valid for five years each, which should give you enough time to fulfill the requirements to upgrade through successive levels until you reach the Professional level, which is renewable every five years.
As you proceed through these steps you’ll be working with the Massachusetts DESE through the Educator Licensure And Renewal (ELAR) portal that you already use for your teacher license.
Step 1. Apply for a Provisional License
You can qualify for this license once you:
- Have three years of experience in an educational setting
- Have at least a bachelor’s degree
- Complete a Massachusetts Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsement
- Pass the Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Test
- Fulfill the apprenticeship/internship requirement
Since you’re an experienced Massachusetts teacher you already have the SEI endorsement, a bachelor’s degree, and have passed the Communication and Literary Skills test.
Step 2. Fulfill the Education and Apprenticeship/Internship Requirement
The typical way of fulfilling this requirement is by completing a graduate program of study that includes a qualifying internship for the Principal/Assistant Principal field. The Massachusetts DESE maintains a list of approved educator preparation program (EPP) providers.
These graduate courses can be offered as stand-alone certificates or as part of a graduate degree program such as:
- M.Ed in Educational Leadership
- M.Ed in Education Administration
- MA in Principal Administrative License
- Ed.S in Educational Administration
Classes cover topics like:
- Instructional leadership
- Human capital management
- Law, policy, and ethics
- Leadership for inclusive education
- School finance and business management
The internship that’s attached to this academic program must be at least 500 hours and it must be for the principal field you’re seeking licensure in: PreK-8 or 5-12.
If you previously completed graduate education but it wasn’t from a DESE-approved EPP, or you have an equivalent experience, and you have three years of administrative or leadership experience then you may be able to work with the DESE to develop a qualifying apprenticeship that will fulfill this 500-hour requirement.
Step 3. Upgrade to an Initial Administrator License
You can upgrade your Provisional Principal Administrator License to an Initial Principal Administrator License once you have at least three years of experience in an educational setting as a(n):
- Executive manager or leader
- Approved teacher or supervisor
- Administrator
To complete the MA-PAL assessment you’ll need to submit a portfolio you create that includes things like evidence charts, task videos, and other materials that demonstrate your competency in these four domains.
Your submitted portfolio is evaluated and assigned a score, with at least a 2.75 considered passing.
Step 4. Upgrade to a Professional Administrator License
After three years of experience as a PreK-8 or 5-12 Principal or Assistant Principal you can upgrade your Initial Principal Administrator License to a Professional Principal Administrator License.
To do this you must complete a one-year principal induction and mentoring program. This involves you working with a mentor and other stakeholders to develop your skills across four main equity leadership domains:
- Professional and inclusive culture
- Instructional leadership
- Human capital development
- Inclusive and responsive family and community engagement
Your school district will pair you with a mentor who will help you through this process, give you extensive feedback, and submit evaluations to the DESE.
At this point you have a renewable license and can focus on the full range of responsibilities that come with being a principal!
School Principal Salary and Jobs in Massachusetts
Over the decade leading up to 2030 the number of K-12 administrator jobs in Massachusetts is projected to increase by over 10%, adding 860 new jobs over this period. That’s higher than the national average, and more than all of Massachusetts’ neighboring states except New York.
The principal salary in Massachusetts is one of the highest in the nation, as represented by the 75th percentile salary for K-12 administrators. Where you work has a lot to do with how much you earn, with these 2022 numbers reported by the Department of Labor:
- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua metro area – $129,160
- Rural Massachusetts – $127,240
- Barnstable Town – $126,460
- New Bedford – $126,460
- Worcester – $126,360
- Pittsfield – $101,880
- Springfield – $122,880
- Leominster-Gardner – $122,730
Brockton High School is one of the largest in the state with 4,300 students. It’s also the home of the state’s largest number of full-time teachers at 251.
Lawrence High School is close behind with an enrollment of 3,084 students and 234 full-time teachers.
The principal at Lowell High School is responsible for keeping its 231 full-time teachers happy, while they in turn are in charge of the instruction for 3,167 pupils.
How to Become a Superintendent in Massachusetts – District-Level Educational Leadership
You feel comfortable in leadership and want to take your career the next step up and become a district leader. To become a Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent in Massachusetts you need an Academic Administrator License in the Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent field, which is valid for all grade levels.
Like other academic licenses, the Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License has three levels: Provisional, Initial, and Professional. If you meet the requirements for an Initial License you can skip the steps for a Provisional License.
As you proceed through these steps you’ll be working with the Massachusetts DESE through the Educator Licensure And Renewal (ELAR) portal that you already use for your Teacher or Principal License.
Step 1. Apply for a Provisional License
The Provisional Administrator Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License allows you to work as a superintendent while you complete the requirements for earning an Initial License. It’s valid for five years, which should give you enough time to upgrade it.
Since you’re already an experienced teacher or principal you have at least a bachelor’s degree and have likely passed the Massachusetts Communication and Literacy Test.
With these requirements out of the way you just need to fulfill an experience requirement, which is three years working in an educational setting in the role of an executive manager or leader, a DESE-approved teacher or supervisor, or as an administrator.
Step 2. Upgrade to an Initial License
Gaining the Initial Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License encompasses several requirements, beginning with one that’s commonly fulfilled through education: completion of a DESE-approved graduate educator preparation program (EPP) that includes a qualifying practicum.
The DESE maintains a list of approved educator preparation program (EPP) providers. These graduate-level courses can be in the form of stand-alone certificate programs, and they are also often combined with graduate degree programs like:
- Ed.D in Educational Leadership
- M.Ed in Educational Administration and Leadership
- Ed.S in Administration
- Ph.D in Educational Leadership
During your studies you’ll cover a range of key topics for superintendents like:
- Equity-centered leadership
- Organizational and policy development
- Public policy formulation and practice
- Data analysis and district improvement
- Evaluation and supervision
As a DESE-approved EPP, your graduate program will include a 500-hour practicum that will give you an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom in the field under supervision.
If you completed a graduate education program that’s not a DESE-approved superintendent EPP, and/or you have an equivalent amount of leadership or managerial experience, you still may be able to fulfill this requirement through a panel review with the DESE. The DESE will review your education and experience, and if this is acceptable you can be paired with a mentor and complete the requirement to gain 500 hours of experience in an apprenticeship.
Finally, to upgrade to the Initial License you must:
- Have at least three years of experience in a district-wide, school-based, or other educational setting
- Have either an Initial License in another educational role, such as an Initial Teacher License, or hold a Provisional Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License
Your Initial License is valid for five years, which should give you enough time to upgrade it to a Professional License.
Step 3. Upgrade to a Professional License
You can upgrade to a Professional Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent License when you:
- Work for three years as a superintendent or assistant superintendent
- Complete an induction program with a mentor
The superintendent induction and mentoring program takes at least one year and develops your skills across four equity leadership domains:
- Instructional leadership
- Management and operations
- Family and community engagement
- Professional culture
Your school district will pair you with a mentor who will help you through this process, give you extensive feedback, and submit evaluations to the DESE.
At this point you’re prepared to lead districts across the state as a superintendent indefinitely! The Professional License is renewable every five years.
Superintendent Salary and Jobs in Massachusetts
Represented by the 90th percentile salary for K-12 administrators in the state, how much you earn as a superintendent varies widely by location:
- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua metro area – $161,140
- Worcester – $159,890
- New Bedford – $151,030
- Rural Massachusetts – $150,660
- Springfield – $150,330
- Barnstable Town – $130,930
- Leominster-Gardner – $130,930
- Pittsfield – $124,440
As of the 2022-2023 school year there were 10 school districts with student enrollment above 10,000:
- Boston Public Schools – 46,001 students
- Worcester PS – 24,318 students
- Springfield PS – 23,721 students
- Lynn PS – 15,433 students
- Brockton PS – 14,906 students
- Lowell PS – 14,130 students
- Lawrence PS – 12,867 students
- New Bedford PS – 12,522 students
- Newton PS – 11,882 students
- Fall River PS – 10,447
Educational Leadership Degree Options in Massachusetts: Doctorate and Master’s in Educational Leadership
We’ve analyzed every graduate educational leadership program in the state among all private non-profit schools. As a busy professional you can choose from delivery options like weekends, evenings, online, hybrid, and on-campus.
Whether it’s in rural bucolic Massachusetts, on the coast, or in a major metropolitan area like Boston, you can decide which program is right for you based on your own circumstances and professional goals!
American International College
School of Education
Accreditation: NECHE
Campus
M.Ed in School Leadership (licensure and non-licensure tracks)
- Concentrations: Principal-Assistant Principal PK-8, Principal-Assistant Principal 5-12, Administrator of Special Education
Also offers:
Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Supervision
Boston College
Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Accreditation: NECHE
Online, hybrid
M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy
Also offers:
Ed.D in Educational Leadership
M.Ed in Catholic Leadership
Boston University
Wheelock College of Education and Human Development
Accreditation: NECHE
Campus, online, hybrid
M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- Concentrations: Higher Education Administration, Prek-12 (licensure and non-licensure tracks), option to combine the M.Ed with an MSW; MA in Leadership Policy and Advocacy for Early Childhood Well-Being
Also offers:
Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Brandeis University
Accreditation: NECHE
Online (summer, on-campus)
M.Ed in Teacher Leadership
Cambridge College
School of Education
Accreditation: NECHE
Campus
M.Ed in Educational Leadership
- Concentrations: Principal-Assistant Principal licensure track, Non-licensure track
Also offers:
Ed.D in Educational Leadership
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership-School Administration
Endicott College
School of Education
Accreditation: NECHE
Online
M.Ed
- Concentrations: Administrative Leadership (option for licensure), Higher Education Leadership
Also offers:
Ed.D in Educational Leadership PK-12
Ed.D in Educational Leadership in Higher Education
Gordon College
School of Graduate, Professional and Extended Studies
Accreditation: NECHE
Online
M.Ed in Educational Leadership
- Concentrations: Supervisor/Director, Principal, Special Education Administrator, Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent
Also offers:
Ed.S in Leadership
Harvard University
Graduate School of Education
Accreditation: NECHE
Online, campus
M.Ed
- Concentrations: Education Leadership (Higher Education pathway, PreK-12 pathway, Education Leadership Organizations and Entrepreneurship
Also offers:
Ed.D in Education Leadership
M.Ed in Teaching and Teacher Leadership (Teaching Licensure, Teacher Leadership)
Merrimack College
Winston School of Education and Social Policy
Accreditation: NECHE
Campus
M.Ed in Higher Education
Also offers:
Certificate in Catholic School Leadership
Community-Based Non-Profit Leadership Certificate
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership
Independent School Leadership Certificate
2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary. Job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed March 2023.