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12 Pros and Cons of Emotional Intelligence

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12 Pros and Cons of Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional intelligence is a description of how well an individual is able to be in touch with their own feelings. People who are skilled in this trait are also very good at sensing how those around them are feeling as well. This information is then used to determine what the best course of action should be when a choice must be made. Up to 80% of the difference between an average performer and a top performer is the ability to use this skill.

Should you be developing your own skills in this area to improve your decision-making? Here are the pros and cons of emotional intelligence to consider before getting started.

What Are the Pros of Emotional Intelligence?

1. It is something that anyone can learn.
Emotional intelligence isn't a genetic trait or a natural talent. It is a skill that anyone can learn. Of course there will be some folks who are naturally better at learning this skill than others, but anyone has the potential to develop well-defined skills in this area. As long as you're willing to put in the practice, you'll be able to find some success.

2. It can help to reduce bullying.
When we understand our emotions and can tap into the emotions of others, then we get to feel a little bit of what others are feeling around us. This allows us to stay in better control of our own emotions, while at the same time it prevents us from causing harm to others because we'll be feeling that harm internally. The end result is typically a kinder, more caring environment because compassion becomes a top priority.

3. It improves a person's social effectiveness.
By understanding the emotions of everyone else around them, a person exercising their skills of emotional intelligence can find ways to relate to others at a core level. This helps to improve their interpersonal relationships and draw people closer to them in social situations because the emotional intelligence also increases the perception levels of those around the individual.

4. It reduces the likelihood of engaging in personally destructive behaviors.
People who have enhanced their emotional intelligence skills over time are less likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors. There are lower levels of smoking, binge drinking, violence against others, and illicit drug use in those with an above average emotional intelligence when compared to the general population. This is because the negative emotional impacts of these decisions have a greater emphasis.

5. Making decisions becomes a lot faster.
Emotional decisions are a lot easier to make than logical decisions. Logic dictates that every scenario be evaluated, estimated, and anticipated. Emotional decisions happen faster because only the emotions of the situation are being examined. Emotion is one of the most crucial pieces of information that we have access to every day, so more data can actually be examined in an emotion than through logic and that's why decisions are faster.

6. It can be used in any environment, situation, and circumstance.
If you have a skill in typing 140 words per minute, are you going to be able to translate that skill into carpentry? Long haul driving? Emotional intelligence is a skill that transcends industries, hobbies, and situations because it is always applicable. A person exercising their skills in this area can find a way to relate to anyone in any circumstance or situation.

What Are the Cons of Emotional Intelligence?

1. It can be used to manipulate people.
Emotions are one of the core components of our being. We experience emotions in virtually every moment of every day. When those emotions are understood as a skill, then it becomes another way to manipulate someone to do what you want them to do. A high emotional intelligence might eliminate physical bullying, but if the intentions are not good, then a different type of bullying can come about: emotional bullying. What's worse is that the person being bullied will want to have it happen because it is emotionally fulfilling for them.

2. It prevents others from using their critical thinking skills.
When someone knows how to "put their emotion on a plate," then that emotional exposure can help others relate through that contact. As those emotions are placed strategically into a presentation, speech, or other public arena, those who are hearing and feeling those expressed emotions begin to get emotional themselves. As those uncontrolled emotions increase, the amount of logical thinking decreases and this prevent critical thinking from occurring.

3. It can be used for personal gain.
Emotional intelligence can also be used to manipulate others for personal gain. This can be done through the creation of embarrassing situations or outright emotional lies, showing a person positive emotions while showing everyone else negative emotions. High emotional intelligence skills can definitely create a lot of good, but if the desires are self-serving, it can also create a lot of darkness.

4. It can make a person more open and agreeable.
Social factors are very important within the scope of human existence. Rare is the individual who can live on their own without any personal contact of any kind for an extended period of time. For those who have a high emotional intelligence, they tend to be more open and agreeable to situations that are morally questionable if it means there is the chance for social contact. This effect is even more pronounced when someone with a higher emotional intelligence is controlling the situation.

5. It takes time to develop this skill.
Although everyone can develop emotional intelligence skills, this is a time investment that can be quite extensive and personal. People may not wish to look at their fears and habits or other personalized negative emotions. If one isn't willing to look inward, then there isn't a chance to adapt to emotions that are outward.

6. Emotional intelligence is a skill that not everyone takes seriously.
Information is the primary currency today and society often separates emotions from words. After all, how many times can a Facebook post or a tweet on Twitter be taken out of context because it is taken the wrong way? This skill isn't taken seriously because many people have poor skills in this area in the first place. Misinterpreting someone's status updates is clear evidence of this fact.

The pros and cons of emotional intelligence show it can be hugely beneficial to develop. It also shows that there can be some potentially dangerous situations that develop if people use their emotional intelligence in a way that only benefits themselves. By understanding the core emotions of those around us, better decisions can be made, so as long as the negatives can be balanced properly, emotional intelligence will always be important.

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12 Pros and Cons of Emotional Intelligence - BrandonGaille.com

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Emotional intelligence is a description of how well an individual is able to be in touch with their own feelings. People who are skilled in this trait are also very good at sensing how those around them are feeling as well.

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Schools Struggle to Meet Students’ Mounting Mental-Health Needs

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Schools Struggle to Meet Students’ Mounting Mental-Health Needs

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"We're screwed." That's what principal Kristina MacBury is hearing over and over again from her students at Sarah Pyle Academy.

Sarah Pyle is a dropout-recovery program in Wilmington, Del., and its students, ages 16 to 21, face a lot of hardships in the best of times: They may be the primary breadwinners in their families. Some have kids of their own; others are taking care of sick parents. Many are homeless.

Now, as a historic recession takes shape amid the pandemic, these students are worried about finding work to bolster their families' earnings or losing jobs they already have. They're upset about the prospect of not getting a traditional graduation-a major milestone for any young adult but one that may be especially hard-won for Sarah Pyle's graduates.

"I have kids whose parents are kicking them out because they don't have a job or because they're not getting along-they never got along," said MacBury. "We have a significant amount of [students with] parents that either have cancer or other health issues and this really drove their anxiety through the roof."

For many of these students, the school was a respite from tumultuous home lives, but like thousands of others across the country, its building is closed to in-person classes to rein in the spread of the coronavirus. All MacBury can do now is tell her students that she and the staff at Sarah Pyle have their backs and tend to their students' mental and emotional needs as best they can from a distance.

"I need you to worry about being balanced, about being centered, about being healthy, about using your strategies. If not, you know where to go to if you start feeling some kind of way," MacBury advises her students through phone calls, emails, and online meetings. "Other kids have been reaching out, 'I don't feel like myself. Can you please help me, stay on the line with me while I call the mental-health hotline?'"

While these students' needs may be especially acute, Sarah Pyle is not alone. Schools across the country are scrambling to prop up students emotionally and mentally during frightening, uncertain times when their ability to respond is greatly diminished.

For educators, school psychologists, and school counselors, who have traditionally relied heavily on in-person interactions to gauge and boost their students' well-being, this period poses unique challenges and high stakes.

"I think for school-based practitioners, our work has always been face to face with students," said Dede Bailer, the coordinator of psychological services at Virginia's Fairfax County public schools, one of the nation's largest districts. "So, for us, the absence of the opportunity to see students face to face has been our biggest obstacle."

Nationwide Shortages

Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, many schools were straining under the burgeoning mental health demands of their students. In many areas, schools have become the de facto mental health-care providers for children.

"Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers in general in many communities and so more has fallen upon the schools to address the mental health needs of kids," said John Kelly, a school psychologist at the Commack school district in New York and a former board director for the National Association of School Psychologists.

Anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have been steadily growing among school-age children. At the same time, there is a national shortage of school psychologists, according to NASP, to meet the rising need.

Now, add to that social isolation, anxiety over parents losing jobs, fears of loved ones falling ill, no respite from conflicts with family, and grief over death or missing important milestones such as graduation. The culmination of all of that will have a corrosive effect on students' mental health, said Franci Crepeau-Hobson, a professor at Colorado University's School of Education and Human Development.

"This is such a different animal," she said of the current situation, "In that it's not what we would call an acute traumatic stressor-those have a discrete beginning and end. This has a potential for chronic traumatic stress where people are walking around in this state of elevated arousal."

Living day in and out in a fight-or-flight mode taxes the brain and the body, said Crepeau-Hobson.

"We can't access our cortex and higher-order thinking," she said. "We know that chronic stress is associated with all kinds of physical illnesses and diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes ... Then [there is] this increased risk for anxiety disorders and depression because people feel hopeless."

Struggling to Keep Up

Now, with school buildings shuttered and in-person meetings largely banned, schools are struggling to provide anywhere near the same level of mental health support to students remotely as they did before the pandemic.

While over 90 percent of district leaders have a plan in place for continuing to support their students' mental health, less than a quarter say they've been able to meet students' needs to the same degree as before the pandemic, according to a recent survey by the Education Week Research Center. For urban schools, only 5 percent of superintendents say they have been able to provide the same level of mental health supports as before.

"The kids I'm most concerned about are the kids I haven't heard back from," said Shawna Rader-Kelly, a school psychologist at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, Mont. "The kids that are engaged in the learning and are in pretty supportive environments, they seem to be doing OK." For the others, "I'm not sure how to keep that support going except to keep checking in."

Rader-Kelly and one other school psychologist serve a school of 2,400 students. They're trying to keep tabs on the students they had already identified as at risk for mental health issues while also looking for warning signs among students who weren't previously having issues.

"We will look at a list of kids who were on our radar," she said. "But we're also reaching out to teachers and saying, 'if you have concerns because a kid hasn't engaged or a student has reached out to you' ... so they don't feel like they're on an island-trying to support a student who needs help. We're trying to open up those lines of communication so that we can continue to monitor those students that we've been concerned about but also keeping an eye open for students whose circumstances might have changed."

Privacy Issues Loom Large

Not being able to meet with students in person has been a big challenge for school psychologists and counselors. Another hurdle: It's tough to provide adequate confidentiality when meeting with students virtually.

Boston Public Schools is continuing to provide counseling services virtually to students and their parents. But it's not as simple as just hopping on a Zoom meeting, said Andria Amador, the director of Behavioral Health Services at Boston Public Schools.

"When you're seeing a child in your office at your school, you have a secure environment," she said. "But in a home where there are other kids or other family members, or some of our families who are homeless ... there may not be a physical location for the child to go and have a confidential conversation."

The district has been training its mental health staff since schools closed on how to provide teletherapy.

Instead of discussing deeply personal issues with students in ways that may run afoul of confidentiality rules, Amador said, school psychologists and counselors in her district are using that time to help students strengthen their coping skills-whether it be breathing exercises to manage anxiety, developing time-management strategies, or brainstorming ideas for how to get along with family members.

In Fairfax County, the district has started offering counseling sessions to all of the district's middle and high school students, regardless of whether they were previously considered at risk, as well as their parents. Parents can call in if they have concerns or are having issues with their children, said Bailer. So far, 60 percent of the appointments have been for parents.

On its COVID-19 resource page, the district also invites parents to submit tips and ideas for keeping families happy and occupied that the district then shares with other families.

Kelly, the school psychologist in New York, has focused on supporting teachers and parents, and helping them deal with their emotions so they can, in turn, help students.

"Kids will take their cue from the adults around them," he said. "Self-care is very important for adults."

While Kelly is giving teachers resources to teach students how to cope and regulate their emotions-such as breathing or mindfulness exercises-he is also encouraging the adults to model those skills, in addition to eating healthily and getting adequate sleep and exercise.

"We are a profession that wants to help others, and so we struggle and become frustrated and demand certain things that right now are not feasible or possible," said Kelly. "Instead of focusing on those limitations, really try to enhance or focus on the things that are possible: just maintaining those connections."

Relief for Some

For some select students, being out of school may have the reverse effect of improving their mental health, if they were being bullied or had extreme social or test anxiety before their school was shut down.

"I have had some students who are actually doing OK because we have removed some of the things that have caused them stress and anxiety-school and social situations," said Rader-Kelly.

Even at Sarah Pyle, the dropout recovery school, some students are excelling as they work remotely.

"We have kids who have gotten so many credits. ... There are a lot of kids this is really working for them," said their principal, MacBury.

But that seemingly bright spot quickly pales in comparison to the avalanche of needs students will likely have when they return to school. Many students will be trying to make up for lost learning time while coping with job loss or death in their families, say the psychologists Education Week spoke to for this article.

Nobody can really predict the extent to which the coronavirus pandemic will affect students' mental health long-term, but schools need to start planning for this right now, said Rader-Kelly, the school psychologist in Montana.

"Even though it is so ambiguous right now," said Rader-Kelly. "We have to talk about, how do we screen kids and support them when they return?"

The bottom line, said Amador, the director of Behavioral Health Services at Boston Public Schools, is that more school psychologists are needed "because when we come back from this there are going to be a lot of mental health needs."

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Schools Struggle to Meet Students' Mounting Mental-Health Needs

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"We're screwed." That's what principal Kristina MacBury is hearing over and over again from her students at Sarah Pyle Academy. Sarah Pyle is a dropout-recovery program in Wilmington, Del., and its students, ages 16 to 21, face a lot of hardships in the best of times: They may be the primary breadwinners in their families.

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Are School Counseling Services Ready? Students’ Psychological Symptoms, School Counselors’ Views, and Solutions.

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Are School Counseling Services Ready? Students’ Psychological Symptoms, School Counselors’ Views, and Solutions.

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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Counselors and Principals: Collaborating to Improve Instructional Equity

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Counselors and Principals: Collaborating to Improve Instructional Equity

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A plan to strengthen school counseling and collaborative leadership

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A plan to strengthen school counseling and collaborative leadership

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School counselors wear many hats.

Testing coordinator. Lunch monitor. Bus duty attendant.

"Too often, counselors are given a lot of administrative duties," said Dr. Rachel Geesa, assistant clinical professor of educational leadership at Ball State University.

This is just one example of the ways that districts can unintentionally undermine the primary mission of its counselors - which is to meet the academic, social, emotional, and career development needs of all students.

A new program at Ball State called the Comprehensive Counseling Initiative aims to help improve school counselor effectiveness by building a bridge between counselors and principals.

Refocusing on the student

The idea is to promote a better understanding among school leadership about the proper role of school counselors. That improved relationship could result in principals devoting more time and resources to counseling to better meet students' needs.

"Students would have more opportunities to work with a counselor," Geesa said. "In addition to talking about college readiness, they can talk about career pathways; they can talk about socioemotional needs. Conversations about bullying, friendships, and family situations can be facilitated through a school counselor."

The initiative is funded by two 3.5-year Lilly Endowment grants that were awarded individually to the Department of Educational Leadership and the Department of Educational Psychology in 2018.

Geesa is the grant director for educational leadership and Dr. Renae Mayes is grant director for educational psychology. Faculty in both departments are involved in the work and collaborative focus of these grants.

"We have been able to make substantial changes in our respective programs to enhance training and support pre-service and in-service professionals," Mayes said. "As a result, more students will be in school environments that support their academic, socioemotional, and career development through culturally responsive practices."

Curriculum plus community outreach

The initiative is multipronged, with elements that include:

an improved, interdisciplinary curriculum for pre-service graduate students at Ball State

career development opportunities for in-service professionals across Indiana

research

presentations to administrators and educators across the country

modeling a collaborative framework for other universities

For pre-service grad students in the master's in educational administration and supervision program and master's in school counseling program, the collaboration begins with the coursework.

Course redesigns added school counseling components to educational leadership curricula and vice versa.

Combined, those programs have hundreds of current students and are the largest programs of their kind in the state.

But the opportunities to learn about more comprehensive school counseling aren't just limited to the University classroom.

Faculty in both departments are continually working on new research manuscripts and presenting at conferences their research related to this collaboration. For instance, four peer-reviewed papers and one book chapter by the team have been published since the grant began, and more projects are in progress.

A conference this spring

The initiative is also hosting a statewide conference for pre-service and in-service counselors, administrators, and educators called the Indiana School Counselor and Administrator Collaboration Institute: Collaborating for Student Success.

Kaylee McDonald, a graduate assistant funded by the Lilly Endowment grant, is helping organize the gathering.

"I'm hoping the conference will help people see that this issue is important and that it's a change that they can start to make right now." she said.

The conference will be Sunday and Monday, June 14-15, at the Embassy Suites in Noblesville. Registration and more information is at sites.bsu.edu/cci/.

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A plan to strengthen school counseling and collaborative leadership - Ball State University Blog

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School counselors wear many hats. Testing coordinator. Lunch monitor. Bus duty attendant. "Too often, counselors are given a lot of administrative duties," said Dr. Rachel Geesa, assistant clinical professor of educational leadership at Ball State University. This is just one example of the ways that districts can unintentionally undermine the primary mission of its counselors [...]

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School counselors: Collaborating for LCAP goals

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School counselors: Collaborating for LCAP goals

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School counselors: Collaborating for LCAP goals

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Often underutilized, school counselors can be strong partners in meeting the academic, social-emotional and career development needs of students. By Caroline J. Lopez and Loretta Whitson Administrators are currently faced with directing and implementing several initiatives, including Common Core State Standards, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium testing, and Local Control and Accountability Plans.

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At every age, people with flexible mind-sets continue to learn new skills. In contrast, people with fixed mind-sets tend to see their own talents and abilities as limited and are often threatened by fresh thinking that challenges their beliefs. You can see how these mind-sets relate to optimism and pessimism and how a flexible, growth mind-set fuels dynamic leadership.

Good things and bad things happen to everyone. What makes the difference is how you work with this raw material of life. Over and over, the women leaders we've spoken to talked about opportunities and how they didn't hesitate to take them.

As we dug deeper, we discovered a recurring theme: These women approached new situations for their possibilities. When they had job offers in new fields, they leapt, believing that they could learn and grow.

And just as interesting, these successful women were not daunted by the risk-indeed, they found it exciting. When they were deciding on a new path, they would ask themselves, "What's the worst that could happen? Getting fired!" And when that happened to some, they bounced back, feeling lucky about their next opportunity. More than a few mused, "When one door closes, another opens." Their examples prove the point.

Now, consider how you typically think about things: Are you fixed in your thinking, or are you flexible? Are you happy to stick to your routine and uneasy when circumstances force you to change? Do you explicitly or implicitly limit what you are capable of? Or are you always open to new ways of doing things?

To test your mind-set, fill in the blank in the following statement: I could be an amazing architect if...

If your answer was something like "if I could visualize spaces" or "if I could do math," you are showing a fixed mind-set, hyperaware of your limitations (real and imagined)--the reasons you can't do something. Typically, this is the response of someone who won't push herself to improve and, as a consequence, her ability to grow diminishes. She's judgmental about herself and probably about others.

If, by contrast, you filled in the blank with "if I wanted to" or "if I put my mind to it," you may have what psychologist Carol Dweck calls a growth mind-set. People with a growth mind-set believe that nothing is predestined; their own work determines their success. These are people who shape their futures by pursuing opportunities to learn and grow, absorbing the shocks along the way and turning feedback into blueprints for progress.

Look around you. The connection to success is clear--the happiest and most successful people are those with a growth mind-set.

Wouldn't you rather have a growth mind-set that leads to a psychological resilience that can help you handle adversity? As Dweck writes, people with growth mind-sets can "look failures in the face, even their own, while maintaining faith that they [will] succeed in the end."

That's what we want for you. If you're starting out with a fixed mind-set, you can change it through conscious effort. Take a moment now to reflect on the career choices you've made and would like to make.

Complete this sentence: What I would love to be doing is...

Are you already doing what you love? If you aren't, what is in your way? People with fixed mind-sets can give a long litany of reasons not to try: It's not practical, there's too much risk, I don't have the skills, everyone will laugh--we could go on. Optimists don't waste their time and energy when they could be moving forward.

So let's stop right here and right now and be more like them: Choose to see reality without the distortions that chip away at your self-confidence and self-regard. Choose to feel in control, able to learn and fix almost anything with help from others. Choose to recover quickly from a mistake or even a colossal failure. If you look at your choices and don't like what you see, you can choose to change your mind-set.

Make Adaptability Your Skill

There's framing and then there's reframing in the moment, a related skill all leaders need. Today's pace of change, organizational complexity, and increasing specialization make adaptability essential for you. Given our multiple roles, women are masters of adaptability at home.

Apply this capability in your work, letting go of the agenda when circumstances change. When the route you've chosen is not working, zoom out to see the bigger picture; you might just find a better way around the problem.

A Matter of Framing

Emma was adaptable from the start, when she found herself at a new school, freezing in a light dress. She drew on adaptability when she entered the white male environment of investment banking. Leaving a venerable bank to be an entrepreneur once again required her to adapt.

We can all learn to reframe what we see in a more realistic, productive, and positive light. We know it's hard work, but you've already taken the first step in your journey by getting to know yourself better. And you know, the first step is often the hardest one. You are on your way.

From the book How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life by Joanna Barsh with Susie Cranston. Copyright 2010 Joanna Barsh with Susie Cranston. Published by arrangement with Crown Business, a division of Random House.

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At every age, people with flexible mind-sets continue to learn new skills. In contrast, people with fixed mind-sets tend to see their own talents and abilities as limited and are often threatened by fresh thinking that challenges their beliefs. You can see how these mind-sets relate to optimism and pessimism and how a flexible, growth mind-set fuels dynamic leadership.

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Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project

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According to the majority of Americans, women are every bit as capable of being good political leaders as men. The same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom. And according to a new Pew Research Center survey on women and leadership, most Americans find women indistinguishable from men on key leadership traits such as intelligence and capacity for innovation, with many saying they're stronger than men in terms of being compassionate and organized leaders.

So why, then, are women in short supply at the top of government and business in the United States? According to the public, at least, it's not that they lack toughness, management chops or proper skill sets.

It's also not all about work-life balance. While economic research and previous survey findings have shown that career interruptions related to motherhood may make it harder for women to advance in their careers and compete for top executive jobs, relatively few adults in the new Pew Research survey point to this as a key barrier for women seeking leadership roles. Only about one-in-five say women's family responsibilities are a major reason there aren't more females in top leadership positions in business and politics.

Instead, topping the list of reasons, about four-in-ten Americans point to a double standard for women seeking to climb to the highest levels of either politics or business, where they have to do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves. Similar shares say the electorate and corporate America are just not ready to put more women in top leadership positions.

As a result, the public is divided about whether, even in the face of the major advances women have made in the workplace, the imbalance in corporate America will change in the foreseeable future. About half (53%) believe men will continue to hold more top executive positions in business in the future; 44% say it is only a matter of time before as many women are in top executive positions as men. Americans are less doubtful when it comes to politics: 73% expect to see a female president in their lifetime.

These findings are based on a new Pew Research Center survey of 1,835 randomly selected adults conducted online Nov. 12-21, 2014. The survey also finds that the public is divided over whether a woman with leadership aspirations is better off having children early on in her career (36%) or waiting until she is well established (40%). About one-in-five (22%) say the best option would be to not have children at all.

Getting the Job Done in Politics and Business

When it comes to characteristics that apply specifically to political and business leadership, most Americans don't distinguish between men and women. But among those who do draw distinctions, women are perceived to have a clear advantage over men in some key areas.

Political compromise has been in short supply in recent years, particularly in Washington, DC. Many adults (34%) think that female politicians are better at working out compromises than their male counterparts. Only 9% say men are better. A narrow majority (55%) say there's no difference between men and women in this regard.

Women are also perceived to have an edge over men when it comes to being honest and ethical (34% say women are better at this; 3% say men are better at it). Women have a somewhat narrower advantage over men when it comes to working to improve the quality of life for Americans and standing up for what they believe in despite political pressure. For both of these characteristics, solid majorities say there is no difference between men and women.

Just as in the political realm, the public does not see major differences between men and women on key business leadership qualities. Where they do see gaps, women have a clear advantage over men on honesty and ethics, providing fair pay and benefits, and offering mentorship to young employees. Men have an edge when it comes to being willing to take risks and negotiating profitable deals.

Women in Leadership Today

As the 114 th Congress gets underway, a record number of women (104) will be serving in the House and Senate. Today women make up 19% of the Congress, about double the share from 20 years ago. Progress has been slower on the corporate front. Only 26 women are now serving as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies-roughly 5%. In 1995 there were none. Women are slightly better represented in corporate boardrooms than they are at the CEO level. As of 2013, about one-in-six board members of Fortune 500 companies (17%) were women, up from 10% in 1995.

The pipeline for female leaders seems to be widening. Women have made significant gains in educational attainment in recent decades, better positioning themselves not only for career success but also for leadership positions. Since the 1990s, women have outnumbered men in both college enrollment and college completion rates, reversing a trend that lasted through the 1960s and '70s. And women today are more likely than men to continue their education after college.

Women have also made inroads into managerial positions and professional fields in recent decades. In 2013, over half of managerial and professional occupations in the U.S. (52.2%) were held by women, up from 30.6% in 1968. Even so, women continue to lag far behind men in senior management positions.

Gender and Party Gaps in Views on Female Leadership

For women, the issue of having more female leaders goes far beyond equality in the workplace. Four-in-ten of them (38%) say having more women in top leadership positions in business and government would do a lot to improve the quality of life for all women. An additional 40% of women say this would have at least some positive impact on all women's lives. For their part, men are less convinced that female leadership has such wide-ranging benefits. Only 19% of men say having more women in top leadership positions would do a lot to improve all women's lives, while 43% say this would improve women's lives somewhat.

When it comes to the barriers that may be holding women back from achieving greater representation in the top leadership ranks, women are much more likely than men to point to societal and institutional factors such as the country not being ready to elect more female political leaders and women being held to higher standards than men in business and in government.

Women are also more likely than men to say that female leaders in both politics and business outperform male leaders on most of the traits and characteristics tested in the survey. The gender gaps in perceptions about political leadership are especially sharp. Whether on compromise, honesty, backbone, persuasion or working for the benefit of all Americans, women are more likely than men to say female leaders do a better job. For their part, solid majorities of men say there aren't major differences between men and women men in these areas. Nonetheless, they are somewhat more likely than women to give a nod to male leaders over female leaders on four of the five political leadership qualities tested in the poll.

Those who identify with the Democratic Party, which dominates the ranks of elected female leaders at the federal and state levels today, also have more favorable impressions of the women who serve in leadership positions in government and in business.

When it comes to political leadership, Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to say that women do a better job than men on each of the attributes tested in the poll. For their part, Republicans are not necessarily more likely to favor men in these areas, but they are more inclined to say there isn't any difference between men and women.

Democratic women in particular are strong proponents of female political leaders. In most cases, they are more likely than both Democratic men and Republican women to say that female political leaders do a better job men.

Democratic women are also among the most enthusiastic about the possibility of having a female elected as president. As Hillary Clinton weighs another run for the White House in 2016 and progressive groups urge Elizabeth Warren to get in the race, 38% of all adults say they hope the U.S. will elect a female president in their lifetime; 57% say it doesn't matter to them. Among Democratic women, fully 69% say they hope the U.S. will elect a female president in their lifetime. This compares with 46% of Democratic men, 20% of Republican women and 16% of Republican men. To be sure, for many Republicans this view may be more about the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency than about a major milestone for women, a perspective that likely influences the way they respond to this "hypothetical" question.

The remainder of this report examines the current landscape of women in leadership in the U.S. and the public's views on this topic. Chapter 1 lays out trends in female leadership in elected political office and in corporate America, as well as changes in the pipelines to top leadership positions. Chapter 2 looks at public attitudes on men, women and key leadership traits in both the political and business realms. And Chapter 3 explores the obstacles to leadership for women, as well as views about discrimination and the future of female leadership.

Other Key Findings

Women are far more likely than men to see gender discrimination in today's society. About two-thirds (65%) of women say their gender faces at least some discrimination in society today, compared with 48% of men who believe women face some discrimination. A double-digit gender gap on perceptions of gender discrimination is evident across all generations as well as across partisan groups.

Women and men are seen as equally good business leaders, but gender stereotypes persist. Most Americans (54%) say men would do a better job running a professional sports team, while just 8% say women would be better at this. And a 46% plurality also give men the edge when it comes to running a large oil or gas company. But the public is two and a half times more likely to say a woman, rather than a man, would do a better job running a major hospital or a major retail chain.

Young adults are more likely than older generations to say women with leadership aspirations might want to delay having children. More than four-in-ten Millennials (46%) say a woman who wants to reach a top position in business is better off waiting to have children until she is well established in her career, while 29% say she should have children early in her career. By contrast, four-in-ten Boomers and nearly half (48%) of members of the Silent generation say it's better for a woman with high-level business aspirations to have children early on.

Among partisans, Republican men are the most likely to say the country has taken the steps needed to achieve gender equality in the workplace. About half of Republican men (54%) say the country has made the changes needed to give men and women equality in the workplace. By contrast about two-thirds (66%) of Republican women say more changes are needed. Even larger majorities of Democratic and independent women and Democratic men agree that gender parity is still a work in progress.

A Note on Generations

Some of the analysis in this report looks at adults by generation. While the definitions of generations can differ slightly among researchers, this report relies on the following standard Pew Research definitions.

Millennials: born after 1980, ages 18 to 33 in 2014.

Generation X: born from 1965 to 1980, ages 34 to 49 in 2014.

Baby Boomers: born from 1946 to 1964, ages 50 to 68 in 2014.

The Silent Generation: born from 1928 to 1945, ages 69 to 86 in 2014.

About This Report

This report explores public attitudes about gender and leadership with a particular focus on leadership in U.S. politics and business. The analysis is based on two new Pew Research Center surveys. The main survey was conducted Nov. 12-21, 2014, among a sample of 1,835 adults - 921 women and 914 men - 18 years of age or older. The survey was conducted by the GfK Group using KnowledgePanel, its nationally representative online research panel. A second survey was conducted Nov. 20-23, 2014, among 1,004 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in the continental United States. This survey was conducted over the telephone (landline and cellular phone) under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. For a more detailed description of the survey methodology, see Appendix A.

In addition to the surveys, this report draws on data from a variety of sources to document women in leadership positions in politics (national and state levels) and in business with trends over time.

This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Claudia Deane, director of research practices, and Rich Morin, senior editor, provided editorial guidance. Kim Parker, director of social trends research, and Juliana Menasce Horowitz, associate director of research, designed the surveys and wrote the overview and two main survey chapters. Wendy Wang, senior researcher, and Anna Brown, research assistant, compiled the data for the chapter on female leadership. Wang wrote the chapter on female leadership. Brown and Eileen Patten, research analyst, number-checked the report. The report was copy-edited by Marcia Kramer of Kramer Editing Services. Michael Suh provided Web support. Find related reports online at www.pewresearch.org/social-trends.

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According to the majority of Americans, women are every bit as capable of being good political leaders as men. The same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom.

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The ASCA national model, accountability, and establishing causal links between school counselors’ activities and student outcomes: A reply to sink.

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The ASCA national model, accountability, and establishing causal links between school counselors’ activities and student outcomes: A reply to sink.

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Sink takes exception to two of the assertions made in the article a School Counselors, Comprehensive School Counseling Programs, and Academic Achievement: Are School Counselors Promising More Than They Can Deliver?" In this article, the authors respond to Sink's concerns and reassert their contentions that the focus of research dealing with school counseling should be on establishing causal links between school counselors' interventions and outcomes rather than school counseling programs.

Journal Information

Professional School Counseling, the flagship journal of the American School Counselor Association, is a rigorous peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality manuscripts on theory, research and best practices for the profession. Also explored are techniques, materials and ideas to assist school counselors and related practitioners at all levels in their professional development. The journal's foci strengthen the bonds among school counselors and help maintain a shared awareness of the roles, problems and progress of school counseling across various settings and levels.

Publisher Information

Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 900 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. A growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company's continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. www.sagepublishing.com

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The ASCA National Model, Accountability, and Establishing Causal Links Between School Counselors' Activities and Student Outcomes: A Reply to Sink on JSTOR

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Sink takes exception to two of the assertions made in the article a School Counselors, Comprehensive School Counseling Programs, and Academic Achievement: Are School Counselors Promising More Than They Can Deliver?"

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BEING A DOER ISN'T ENOUGH FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS. STUDENT NEEDS DEMAND SCHOOL COUNSELORS MOVE BEYOND REACTING TO LEADING. Are school counselors doers or

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Five Great Traits of a Great Guidance Counselor 

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Five Great Traits of a Great Guidance Counselor 

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Find out if you have what it takes to help students and earn your master's in school counseling.

Guidance counselors play an important role in schools, helping students of all ages navigate a range of challenges and experiences. While becoming a school counselor requires training and education, such as earning a master's in school counseling, it also helps to have strong interpersonal skills to succeed in guidance counseling.

If you're thinking of pursuing your MS in School Counseling and want to find out how to become a counselor and thrive in the field, learn more about this rewarding line of work.

Markers of a Great School Counselor

Guidance counseling is not for everyone, and it takes someone with several important attributes to effectively guide students through the challenges they may face both at school and at home. Before you begin working toward your master's in school counseling, you may want to first consider whether you have the following abilities and characteristics:

Communication. A big part of being a school counselor is listening to students, and then responding thoughtfully and effectively. While you may be able to develop these skills through training, if you're the person who friends and family turn to in tough times, you may already have the strong communication skills you'll need to work with students.

Empathy. Guidance counselors help students dealing with bullying, disputes with friends, problems at home, and so much more. To do this effectively, you must be able to empathize with what your students are going through and channel this into a compassionate response.

Friendliness. Students won't want to share their problems with a school counselor who is perceived as being distant and cold. A warm and inviting demeanor is key to working with students, as well as their teachers and parents.

Understanding of diversity. Whether a student has problems at school or at home, a guidance counselor must consider how that student's socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity may come into play. A school counselor must be able to listen to and help students from all walks of life.

Knowing when to act. Unfortunately, guidance counselors at times have to help students dealing with neglect, abuse, risky behavior, or other dangerous circumstances. Being able to recognize a harmful or potentially life-threatening situation and taking the steps to help remove students from these situations is a key skill for any school counselor.

Get Started on Your Master's Degree

If you're interested in a career helping children and adolescents, Walden University's MS in School Counseling program may be a good choice to earn your advanced degree. Walden's school counseling program offers the flexibility of online learning along with in-person residences and field experience, for a well-rounded master's program tailored for today's school counselors. Choose the general school counseling program or one of three specializations designed to meet a range of educational and professional goals. There is also an accelerated track option for students who want to complete their master's degree sooner.

If you're ready to prepare to become a licensed professional counselor, start your journey at Walden today. If you would like to broaden your career options further, you may wish to consider earning Walden's MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling degree. Upon successful graduation, you will have earned two degrees from an accredited program and be able to pursue licensure or certification as both a mental health counselor and a school counselor.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a CACREP-accredited MS in School Counseling degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your master's degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.

The MS in School Counseling program is offered by Walden University, an institution accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), which is a requirement to practice as a school counselor in some states. The MS in School Counseling program meets the standards for school counseling licensure or certification and is a state-approved program in Minnesota and Ohio. The MS in School Counseling program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which may also be a requirement to become licensed or certified as a school counselor in some states. In addition, some states require school counselors to have an existing teaching license or certification, and teaching experience, in order to be eligible for a school counseling certification/license.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.

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Guidance counselors play an important role in schools, helping students of all ages navigate a range of challenges and experiences. While becoming a school counselor requires training and education, such as earning a master's in school counseling, it also helps to have strong interpersonal skills to succeed in guidance counseling.

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The more that you, as a leader, manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let's look at each element in more detail and examine how you can grow as a leader.

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

1. Self-awareness

If you're self-aware, you always know how you feel, and you know how your emotions and your actions can affect the people around you. Being self-aware when you're in a leadership position also means having a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses, and it means behaving with humility.

So, what can you do to improve your self-awareness?

Keep a journal. Journals help you improve your self-awareness. If you spend just a few minutes each day writing down your thoughts, this can move you to a higher degree of self-awareness.

2. Self-regulation

Leaders who regulate themselves effectively rarely verbally attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about staying in control.

This element of emotional intelligence, according to Goleman, also covers a leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability.

So, how can you improve your ability to self-regulate?

Hold yourself accountable. If you tend to blame others when something goes wrong, stop. Make a commitment to admit to your mistakes and to face the consequences, whatever they are. You'll probably sleep better at night, and you'll quickly earn the respect of those around you.

Practice being calm. The next time you're in a challenging situation, be very aware of how you act. Do you relieve your stress by shouting at someone else? Practice deep-breathing exercises to calm yourself. Also, try to write down all of the negative things you want to say, and then rip it up and throw it away. Expressing these emotions on paper (and not showing them to anyone!) is better than speaking them aloud to your team. What's more, this helps you challenge your reactions to ensure that they're fair!

3. Motivation

Self-motivated leaders work consistently toward their goals, and they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work.

How can you improve your motivation?

Re-examine why you're doing your job. It's easy to forget what you really love about your career. So, take some time to remember why you wanted this job. If you're unhappy in your role and you're struggling to remember why you wanted it, try the Five Whys technique to find the root of the problem. Starting at the root often helps you look at your situation in a new way. And make sure that your goal statements are fresh and energizing. For more on this, see our article on Goal Setting.

4. Empathy

For leaders, having empathy is critical to managing a successful team or organization. Leaders with empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone else's situation. They help develop the people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who need it.

If you want to earn the respect and loyalty of your team, then show them you care by being empathic.

How can you improve your empathy?

Respond to feelings. You ask your assistant to work late - again. And although he agrees, you can hear the disappointment in his voice. So, respond by addressing his feelings. Tell him you appreciate how willing he is to work extra hours, and that you're just as frustrated about working late. If possible, figure out a way for future late nights to be less of an issue (for example, give him Monday mornings off).

5. Social Skills

Leaders who do well in the social skills element of emotional intelligence are great communicators. They're just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and they're experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project.

Leaders who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts diplomatically. They're rarely satisfied with leaving things as they are, but they don't sit back and make everyone else do the work: they set an example with their own behavior.

So, how can you build social skills?

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Emotional Intelligence in Leadership - Learning How to Be More Aware

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Relating to others is vital in today's workplace. Learn how to build your emotional intelligence (EI) with this article.

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Measuring The Self-Perceived Transformational Leadership Skills Of School Counselors: A Comparison Across Settings

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Measuring The Self-Perceived Transformational Leadership Skills Of School Counselors: A Comparison Across Settings

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How to Be a Transformational Leader in Education

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How to Be a Transformational Leader in Education

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Education faces a variety of significant challenges. Students often struggle to overcome life events that interfere with their ability to complete basic education. Teacher and staff morale can be dragged down by the high cost of living and a seeming lack of respect they receive for the vital work that they do. Transformational leadership in education can't solve all of these problems, but it does serve as a force for improvement.

A time of stress calls for a new and creative approach to learning, such as that provided by the transformational leadership model.

A need for educational transformation

California's secondary education system gives an example of the kinds of challenges that schools often fail to meet. In 2018, 83 percent of high school seniors in California graduated. While that number represents an increase from the dismal graduation rate of 74.7 percent in 2010, it's hard to celebrate when 17 percent of high school students leave without a diploma. Furthermore, California's dropout rate keeps rising, reaching close to 10 percent in 2018.

The numbers are even more disheartening when you break them down by race, ethnicity, and economic hardship. The graduation rate for African-American students was almost 10 percentage points below the average. English learners had just a 67.9 percent graduation rate. Homeless youth fared only slightly better, with 68.9 percent completing high school.

Students listed as socioeconomically disadvantaged graduated at a rate that was more than three percentage points below the average. Those with disabilities had a 66.3 percent graduation rate. Only 53.1 percent of foster youth received their diplomas.

What these numbers show is that the educational system in California-while it has improved somewhat over previous years-continues to fail many of the students that need it most. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workers without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $515 in 2017. Compared to high school graduates, who earned $718, those who failed to get their high school diploma missed out on 30 percent of their earning potential. Thus, the breakdown of education in its mission to serve historically disadvantaged populations reinforces the repeating cycle of poverty.

Although, through transformational leadership in education, teachers, principals, and school administrators can elevate individual students and the whole school ecosystem. Some educators are making a difference.

Transformational leadership provides a model of change in education that helps youth to meet the challenges of systemic racism and poverty. This change regarding leadership in education also motivates teachers and supports them to be able to give their students a rich and welcoming learning environment.

What is transformational leadership?

Many adults remember the one teacher or mentor who particularly inspired them in their youth. These inspirational figures have the power to change the course of young lives. For some students, one adult that believes in them and shows them a path to success is all it takes to teach them to believe that they have the power to excel. This change regarding leadership in education often comes from educators immersed in transformational leadership theory.

What is transformational leadership in education? Transformational leadership is a model that principals and teachers can use to lead by example. It places a high value on creating community bonds, which encourage both students and teachers to greater levels of achievement.

Bernard M. Bass and Bruce J. Avolio, two pioneering voices in transformational leadership theory, define these leaders as people who mentor and encourage both colleagues and followers.

According to Bass and Avolio, the transformational leadership style views relationship development as a crucial component of the work of educational institutions. Transformational leadership in education spurs students and teachers to expand and grow in a nurturing community.

One of the strengths of the transformational leadership model is that it builds on the resources of every member of the school, particularly staff and teachers. The truly transformational leader is a motivator who seeks to inspire team members to be their better selves. Transformational educators forgo self-interest and self-promotion. Instead, they direct their attention and energy toward the good of the group as a whole.

To accomplish this, transformational leadership traits include a passion for the mission of the educational institution. A leader who can instill this passion in others has the power to create an environment where change in education can happen.

Transformational leadership characteristics

In his influential essay, "Leadership and Excellence in Schooling", Thomas J. Sergiovanni emphasized the need to strive for more than simply adequate education. He identified five leadership forces exhibited by transformational educators. Those forces are technical, human, educational, symbolic, and cultural.

The technical aspect of transformational leadership in education is good management practices, including planning and organization. Without effective, evidence-based school administration, change in education becomes more challenging.

The human aspect is the use of the social and interpersonal resources already available in the school setting. By building what Sergiovanni calls "interpersonal competence," schools can improve morale among staff. He identifies participatory decision-making as a key element in the human aspect of transformational leadership in education.

The educational force is rooted in the professional competence and implementation of effective teaching strategies that transformational leaders bring to their schools. These leaders foster change in education by evaluating problems in educational design. The educational force relates to counseling, evaluation, and professional development within the school setting.

Symbolism is an important aspect of the transformational leadership style. The rituals of the school year are more than just milestones to be checked off a list. Transformational leadership theory recognizes the vital role of administrators and teachers as symbolic leaders of their school communities.

By creating a sense of clarity and unity, the symbolic force helps all members of the educational community feel that they are part of a close-knit group that shares the goal of building the best possible school ecosystem. It may seem tangential, but the transformational leadership model places symbolism as a core element of a school environment that supports learning and personal growth.

The cultural aspect of transformational leadership is a statement of shared values and beliefs. Cultural leadership articulates not only the school's mission, but also the mythos of the educational milieu. Sergiovanni elevates culture because it is the glue that holds the student body together. School culture reminds both students and teachers of the important work they do together.

While Sergiovanni calls cultural leadership the role of "high priest," it's important to make the distinction between charismatic leadership and demagoguery. Transformational leadership qualities, especially these symbolic and cultural aspects, call on educators to lead by following. This is leadership in the mold of Lao Tzu, who said, "The best leaders are those the people hardly know exist."

Transformational leadership risks elevating leaders to the level where they are indispensable. To avoid a situation where the departure of one administrator or staff member can cause a whole school to crumble in on itself, it is important for transformational leaders to build strength in all members of the educational team rather than accruing too much power to themselves. Truly gifted transformational leaders create schools whose staff includes empowered leaders at all levels.

Transformational leadership examples in history

There are many examples of transformational leaders throughout history. These are figures whose commitment to their vision inspired others to follow. Even after their deaths, these transformational figures have symbolic power that encourages others to aspire to work towards the greater good of society.

Some of these leaders are well-known names, such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ida B. Wells. These civil rights leaders didn't only do work that made a difference. They were among the sparks that ignited a movement. Their leadership and willingness to stand out insured that they did not stand alone.

Without leaving California, we can find many more transformational leaders, including Huey P. Newton, a leader of the Black Panthers; and Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, co-founders of the United Farmworkers union. These transformational leaders confronted injustices that appeared intractable. Through charisma, courage, and creativity, they proved that change was possible. This empowered many others who have followed in their footsteps.

Other names may be obscured by the fog of history, but their transformative influence has changed our lives nonetheless. The participants in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz and the women who protested by throwing away undergarments in the 1970s transformed how America thought about its history and culture. Largely leaderless movements such as Occupy, Black Lives Matter, and the Women's March, use elements of transformational leadership models to distribute power widely throughout the organization.

The heroes of transformational leadership in education tend to be names that are known only to the members of the schools where they work. They are no less revered in and important to the school community than the historical figures whose names students read in history class.

A principal or teacher who brings change in education can be the transformational leader who nurtures the seeds of greatness in the heroes of the next generation. By modeling transformational leadership in education, educators give youth a framework for finding their own greatness.

Benefits of transformational leadership

A 1994 study entitled, "The Effects Of Transformational Leadership On Organizational Conditions And Student Engagement With School", set out to quantify the benefits of transformational leadership.

The authors used a survey of 1,762 teachers and 9,941 students in a single school district. They found that transformational leadership was associated with much greater cohesion and satisfaction among staff.

There were also benefits for students. Transformational leadership characteristics among teachers led to increased participation and identification with the school among the students. However, the effects of educational transformation on students were smaller than the effects on faculty and staff. The authors attributed this to the stronger influence of the family educational environment on student achievement.

At the time the study was conducted, transformational leadership in education rarely reached outside the school campus. Recognizing the importance of the home environment, change leadership in education today supports and includes the parents as well as the students in the school community.

A more recent survey of studies on transformational leadership in education highlighted the importance of transformational leadership for school principals. Those principals who exhibited transformational leadership traits provided better staff support, recognized success among the staff, and were more available. These principals welcomed fresh perspectives from their staff and faculty and often put these diverse ideas into practice.

Transformational leadership theory is not confined to the United States. For example, a 2013 study looked at transformational leadership traits among school principals in China. The study found that principals who practiced a transformational leadership style were more successful in finding solutions to the problems at their schools.

The benefits of transformational leadership aren't always direct. Transformational leadership isn't about a better way to teach math or a new technique for improving reading skills, though educational technique is an important technical component of change leadership in education. Transformational leadership fosters a community that is committed to the goals of the school and the success of all students. The secondary effect of this style of leadership is educational change. This provides an environment that fosters the creation of new and innovative instructional techniques.

Change leadership in education is made, not born

The transformational leadership style may come naturally to some educators. However, the surest path to educational change is through intention. In most cases, transformational leadership in education is the result of years of training and study.

Mills College has educated many generations of transformational leaders in a wide variety of fields. In recognition of the huge need for transformational leadership in education, Mills offers an online MA in Educational Leadership.

Part of the transformational leadership definition is that the leaders use their life stories and experience to inspire those around them. Change leadership in education, therefore, must have diverse practitioners. By offering an online master's degree, Mills College opens the field of educational leadership and transformation to educators who need to continue working at their current positions while they take courses to advance their careers. Mills recognizes the incredible experience and wisdom of these dedicated educators.

The MA in Educational Leadership teaches a transformational leadership model that emphasizes collaboration and reflection. The curriculum takes into account the need for solid grounding in curriculum development and sound teaching and administrative practices. Students leave the program prepared to face the often challenging task of reconciling the fiscal realities of public education with the needs of students and teachers.

Outstanding educational environments must exist in relation to the communities they serve. Transformational leadership in education requires a solid understanding of educational change theories. That is a core part of the curriculum of the online MA in Educational Leadership at Mills. This understanding will prepare you to face the ethical and social challenges that confront today's educators on a daily basis.

The online MA in Educational Leadership at Mills is a great place to start your career in educational change. The skills you learn will transform your life and prepare you for a career of transformational leadership in education.

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How to Be a Transformational Leader in Education

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Education faces a variety of significant challenges. Students often struggle to overcome life events that interfere with their ability to complete basic education. Teacher and staff morale can be dragged down by the high cost of living and a seeming lack of respect they receive for the vital work that they do.