One of the aspects of Le Moyne’s Educational Leadership program that is most beneficial for both the student and school districts throughout Central New York is the program’s internship component.
According to EDL Program Director Maureen Patterson, this past academic year there were 37 interns working in districts throughout the region, primarily in public schools but also in BOCES and, in year's past, Catholic Diocesan schools. The six-credit course is the culmination of coursework, seminars, and professional development and can be completed over two summers, a full year at half-time status, a semester at full-time status, or a combination of leadership experiences in a timeline that meets the required 600 hours.
“Interns are supervised by a site supervisor and by an assigned college supervisor, all of whom are retired CNY school leaders,” said Patterson. “They also attend monthly seminars that prepare them with information on critical issues in school leadership that will assist them in passing the student business leadership and school district leadership state assessments, and to prepare the interns for interviewing at the end of the program.”
“The Le Moyne interns are prepared to lead,” said Geri Geitner, executive director of human resources and student services in Fulton Schools. “They offer invaluable support to our school community and administrative team and are doing practical work that advances our district’s progress toward achieving our strategic plan goals.” Fulton has taken several interns over the years, including three during the current academic year.
David Marshall is completing his internship experience at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) in DeWitt. He credits the experience with helping him in a number of ways.
“My experience during the internship was fast-paced. I needed to make sure my days were well organized and planned out because I still had part-time responsibilities as an academic interventionist. Finding a balance between my internship responsibilities, work responsibilities, Le Moyne requirements, and family provided the biggest challenge for me. However, the rigor and high expectations of Le Moyne's EDL program, specifically during the internship, provided me with the foundational skills to step into any administrative position with confidence.”
In July, Marshall will begin working as an assistant principal of academics at CBA, which he attributes directly to his internship. “The saying that timing is everything certainly rang true for me… The intensive work I did during my internship at CBA and through the EDL program provided me with the experiences I needed to show I was prepared for the job. During the interview process, I was able to reference many experiences during my internship in my responses.”
“Graduates are securing positions as principals, assistant principals, and directors,” said Patterson. “Many of them move directly into a leadership position and some do so even before they finish the internship, so they complete the requirements and the internship at the new position. I would say that almost every person who seeks a school leader position gets it.” Among the positions students have secured recently are instructional coach, assistant principal, principal, committee on special education chairperson, technology data coordinator, dean of students and director of preschool programs.