Teaching isn't the only way to be a part of educating our nation's children. Education administrators play a key role in leading schools to success, by developing curricula, establishing policies and procedures, building partnerships with businesses and community members, and managing schools much as you would a business, including handling certain complex budgetary issues, allocating resources and dealing with regulatory agencies and governments.

Education administrators hold positions such as principal, assistant principal, department head, dean, superintendent, or even school board member - all of which are essential in guiding our nation's schools. Being an education administrator may often mean that you no longer work in the classroom, which is something to consider. However, it also means you play a significantly larger role in determining a school's overall goals and direction.

Because of the many duties involved in education administration, earning such a position generally requires a background in teaching, combined with an advanced education administration degree. Such a program will build upon your current teaching skills and incorporate such topics as curriculum-building, public policy, educational psychology, management, budgeting, and certain legal issues. With an education administration degree, you'll be ready to advance your career by earning a leadership position that generally pays more than the average teaching post.

Education administration jobs are expected to grow by 12 percent through 2016, meaning that roughly 496,000 new positions will become available. Clearly, now is an excellent time to earn an education administration degree.