Principals, superintendents, and administrators learn to lead schools from someone, and you're that someone, teaching and researching educational leadership, often to working professionals. Shaping the people who shape schools.
The week mixes teaching, research, advising, and service, often with graduate students who are already working educators. You teach in evenings or online, supervise dissertations, and publish. Much of the value is practical wisdom, bridging research and the real work of running schools. The rhythm follows the academic calendar and adult-learner schedules.
The harder part is balancing scholarship, teaching, and heavy advising loads: dissertation supervision especially eats time. Academic jobs are competitive, and you straddle research and practitioner worlds. Programs vary from research universities to practice-focused EdD programs, each weighting theory and application differently in practice.
It fits someone experienced, generous, and energized by developing leaders. If you miss the day-to-day of schools or dislike academic demands, the shift can be hard. But if you love mentoring the next generation of educational leaders, and bridging research with real practice, the work tends to be genuinely meaningful, cohort after cohort.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Principals, superintendents, and administrators learn to lead schools from someone, and you're that someone, teaching and researching educational leadership, often to working professionals. Shaping the people who shape schools.
Median pay for an Educational Leadership Professor is about $72K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $39K to $126K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Learning Strategies, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 2.1% through 2034, with roughly 59,090 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Educational Program Director, Primary Education Professor, and Educational Administration Teacher.
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