Both an education degree and a leadership degree teach potential educators how to be more effective within the classroom and when dealing with others. While both teach these skills to a certain extent, they focus on those aspects in different ways.
An education degree is designed to teach teachers the best practices available for educating students in the age ranges in which they are interested. This means the education degree can be focused on more than the broad topic of teaching, but but specifically on teaching elementary or high school students.
A teaching degree that is focused on certain age groups can also be further refined to focus on a specific subject such as math or science. Some classes in an education degree will also help guide a teacher through parent and teacher interactions, or give them the basics needed when serving on school advisory committees. However, these aspects will not be the primary target of the degree.
On the other hand, a leadership degree prepares people for a different role in education. While there are some ‘how to teach’ classes involved, these are not the focus of the coursework. This is because most students in a leadership degree program are more interested in eventually obtaining a position as a principal, vice principal or school district employee. These classes focus more intently on broader concepts such as managing a school.
Both leadership degrees and education degrees are important tools in building well balanced schools that provide a rich educational environment for children. Without strong leadership, teachers and students have less pride in the school and put forth less than their best effort. Without teachers who fully understand how to best reach children of all skill levels, children will not thrive.
As you may know, I was never interested in a leadership position and my degree was a more general education degree. However, with that degree I eventually did end up being something of a leader on several committees and within our teacher union. One never knows where life will lead, but both of these degrees can help prepare one for the challenges found in an educational environment.
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