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How to Become a School Administrator in Oregon

There are two levels of administrative licensure in Oregon: Principal License and Professional Administrator License.

principal talking with teacher in an office

How to Earn a Principal License

A person with a Principal License is qualified to serve as a building-level principal or another role requiring a school administrator license. The license term is three years, but may be renewed continuously, unless hired into a district-wide position that requires supervision of someone with a Principal License.

  1. Earn teaching experience: Hold an active and valid teaching license for at least three years of full-time experience or six years of 0.5 to 0.99 FTE appropriate for any assignment
  2. Complete a Principal License preparation program

How to Earn a Professional Administrator License

A person with a Professional Administrator License in Oregon is qualified to serve as a superintendent or another district-level administrator that requires supervision of someone with a Principal License. The license term is five years, but may be renewed continuously.

  1. Earn teaching experience: Hold an active and valid teaching license for at least three years of full-time experience or six years of 0.5 to 0.99 FTE appropriate for any assignment
  2. Complete a Principal License preparation program
  3. Earn school administrator experience: Hold an active and valid administrator license for at least three years of full-time experience or six years of 0.5 to 0.99 FTE appropriate for any administrative assignment
  4. Complete a Professional Administrator preparation program
administrative leaders discuss at a round table

School Administrator Roles

What comes to mind when you hear the term “school administrator” – “principal” perhaps? Have you considered the fact that several positions – including academic dean, athletic director, assistant principal, district-level directors, superintendent – are a possibility as you pursue a career in education?

District and School Administrators

Each local school board, responsible for most decisions in a district, hire two categories of administrators: district-level and school-level leaders.

District administration roles include:

Superintendents and central office administration staff who are responsible for a school’s assessments, finances, special student services, and other curricular programs. Big-picture organizational leadership.

School administration roles include:

Vice principal, principal, academic dean, and athletic director. More specific to leading within a school setting.

Educational Leadership Roles

Here are some brief descriptions to further clarify job options:

The superintendent oversees the daily operations of the educational organization and is responsible for providing recommendations to the school board, overseeing finances and facilities and lobbying the state government on behalf of their specific organization.

Assistant superintendents typically work in larger organizations. They oversee specific parts of daily operations and could oversee curriculum, transportation and special services. The assistant superintendent directly reports to the superintendent.

Principals oversee the daily operations of an individual school within an organization. The principal is primarily in charge of overseeing the students and faculty/staff, building community relationships and interviewing prospective candidates. They also recommend new educator candidates to the superintendent for hiring.

Assistant principals, like assistant superintendents, are typically employed in larger schools. They oversee evaluation of teachers and curriculum, ranging from student behavior to co-curricular programs, and work directly with the principal and school counselors as a part of the leadership team.

Academic deans are responsible for participating in faculty hiring, overseeing academic program budgets, fundraising, setting academic standards and policies, and other administrative functions, typically at the grade 7-12 level.

Athletic/Activities directors oversee all the athletic/activities programs at the school, or organization level in larger systems. They are often in charge of scheduling events, supervising these events, and hiring and retaining coaches. The athletic/activities director oversees the operating budget and works to coordinate fundraising efforts in the community.