HTH GSE offers a Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) with two concentrations:

The Teacher Leadership Concentration (TLC)
is a two-year part-time program designed for experienced teachers who wish to deepen their practice and build their inquiry and leadership skills. These Master’s candidates continue to work part- or full-time at either a school in the High Tech High network or outside the network. Through coursework and by designing and implementing an action research project, students pursue essential questions relevant to their practice and apply their learning in their own classrooms and schools. 

Educators beyond the San Diego area are welcome and encouraged to apply to our programs. After completing their coursework the first year in San Diego, these students return to their schools of employment to conduct their Master’s thesis projects with the structured support of their GSE advisor and colleagues. They then return to the HTH village to present their Master’s project alongside their colleagues at the HTH Summer Institute.

The goals of the Teacher Leadership concentration are to:

1. Develop reflective practitioners who take action and reflect on that action to improve teaching and learning.
2. Help teachers develop a personal philosophy and approach grounded in the HTH design principles.
3. Train teachers to design project-based approaches to learning that connect students to the world beyond school and that offer access and challenge to all learners.
4. Prepare teachers to address the challenges of unequal access to education for special or educationally disadvantaged populations of learners.
5. Develop teachers’ capacities to critically examine educational theory/research and to design and conduct their own scholarly inquiries.
6. Prepare teachers to be effective teacher leaders and program builders.

The School Leadership Concentration (SLC)
is designed for aspiring school leaders. Candidates learn the necessary skills, ranging from financial management to instructional leadership, required to open and lead a successful small school. Students are assigned a Mentor Leader, a current charter school director, with whom they work closely and observe in meetings and through decision-making processes. Through coursework and practicum experiences, students complete a series of leadership tasks and projects with the experience and guidance of their Mentor Leader to assist them.

There are two tracks within the School Leadership concentration. The program for external candidates, those not currently employed by a HTH school, is structured as a 10-month full-time residency within a HTH school. The program for internal candidates, those who are full-time employees of HTH, is a part-time program to be completed within two academic years.

The goals of the School Leadership concentration are to:

1. Prepare leaders for the complexity of leading urban schools with many stakeholders and limited resources in a climate of organizational and societal change.
2. Help leaders develop a personal philosophy and approach grounded in the HTH design principles.
3. Train leaders who will have the capacity to be school builders, mentors, and change agents.
4. Train leaders to create programs that help students develop academic competencies through project-based learning and internships in the adult world beyond school.
5. Train leaders to develop and implement structures and an environment for personalization.
6. Prepare leaders to address the challenges of unequal access to education for special or educationally disadvantaged populations oflearners.

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Teacher Credentialing
High Tech High is the first charter school organization authorized by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to offer preliminary and professional credentials to teachers.

Intern Program
HTH's Intern program, where teachers pursue their preliminary teaching credential, is currently open to HTH employees only. Beginning in the Fall of 2009, this program will be available to all local educators. More »

Induction Program
Teachers from around San Diego, who already possess their preliminary teaching credential, can participate in the HTH Teacher Induction program. Through structured mentoring and reflection over two years, participants complete their professional teaching credential. More »