Who Attends Universities Offering Master’s Degrees in Educational Leadership and General Administration?
According to the Illinois Board of Higher Education (2009), there were 4949 students enrolled in master’s degrees in educational leadership and administration during the 2008 fall semester (Table 1). If the programs preferred by students preparing to become principals of schools can be an indication of the status and direction of education in Illinois, the following numbers can be startling. Firstly, only 38% of these students attend public Illinois universities and colleges. Not only do private universities attract the majority of principal candidates in their master’s degrees in general administration, but the not-for profit sector appears to be the most popular, especially among minority candidates—Black and Hispanic. It might be informative to study why, although Black candidates (n = 775) represent 15.7% of total enrollments in master’s degrees, and about one fourth of white enrollments, Black candidates out-number White candidates in for-profit private master’s degrees. In additi
