Program Director

Kiesha Johnnies
Office: RO-1-F
Phone: 414-277-7286
Email: johnniesk@msoe.edu

MSOE’s Rader School of Business created the MBA in Education Leadership program. This innovative program is targeted at teaching professionals, principals, and vice principals with a minimum of three years of PK­-12 teaching experience who wish to advance in school leadership roles.  On successful completion of the program, qualified participants receive both a Master of Business Administration and Wisconsin State Principal Licensure. 

The program is also recommended for K-12 administrators and business managers who wish to enhance their leadership skills through a specialist MBA. The program, which serves the needs of public, private, charter, and choice school emerging leaders, blends the best of leadership development, business, and educational administration. Two key themes woven through the program are the elimination of the global student achievement gap through better school leadership, and the development of school cultures that support positive character education.

The MBA in Education Leadership is a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction approved program for principal licensure (5051) that offers educators an alternative to traditional Master of Education Administration degree programs. Students may also add the Director of Instruction (5010) and School Business Administrator (5008) licenses by enrolling in additional coursework. The program is based on a school partner model that involves existing school leadership and MSOE program faculty in the definition of field projects that will advance important school initiatives and provide an authentic embedded learning experience for students.

Program Faculty

Dr. Ruth Barratt, Andy Chromy, Mindy Davies, Dr. Paul Hudec, Tabia Jones, Nick Kohn, Patty Kramer, Dr. Jessica Moe, Curt Mould, Dr. Kelly Ottman, Dan Pavletich, Tony Spence, Chris Thompson

Admission Requirements

Admissions to the MBA in Education Leadership program is rolling throughout the year. Cohorts begin in the fall and spring of each year. In addition to meeting the general graduate admissions requirements, all candidates for the MBA in Education Leadership must meet program-specific requirements, which are listed in the Graduate Admission Requirements  section of this catalog.

Program Educational Objectives

At MSOE, program educational objectives refer to what graduates of the MBA in Education Leadership program are expected to achieve within several years of program completion:

• Rise to significant leadership positions in PK-12 education
• Direct innovative educational initiatives and formulate policies using sound analytical skills and evidence-based practice
• Lead educational change efforts to raise the achievement of all students, with a particular focus on eliminating and preventing the global achievement gap in PK-12 education
• Demonstrate the on-going integration of effective leadership traits and ethical principles into personal and professional personas
• Build and sustain relationships among diverse constituents, stakeholders, and policy makers that foster a culture conducive to high student achievement
• Develop the next generation of teachers who will continue to pursue global excellence in student achievement
• Manage school environments to foster student achievement, realize staff development, and nurture the public trust while creating and sustaining an ecology that fosters positive character formation
• Influence and enact Wisconsin school law and education policy to enhance the learning environment

Student Outcomes

The student outcomes refer to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and dispositions that program graduates will possess at the time of program completion. These are organized into the broad categories shown below that align with the Wisconsin Administrator Standards and enact two key themes within the program: elimination of the global achievement gap (8) and character formation (9).  All program graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding and competency in teacher standards
2. Lead by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared by the school community
3. Lead by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to pupil learning and staff professional growth
4. Ensure management of the organization, operations, finances, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment
5. Collaborate with families and community members to respond to diverse community interests and needs and mobilize community resources
6. Act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner that models strong character for the school and community
7. Demonstrate an understanding, respond to, and interact with the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural contexts that affect schools and learning
8. Apply evidence-based leadership practices to identify and resolve barriers to student achievement and eliminate achievement gaps
9. Identify, develop, and sustain a school and community culture that supports character formation