An August 13 article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel highlights how the College of Information’s Project LEAD is providing master’s degree opportunities for school library media specialists in conjunction with Florida school districts. Project LEAD, developed with IMLS funding, is an online curriculum that integrates National Board Certification, the highest credential in the teaching profession.

Media specialists who are already graduates of master’s programs in library and information studies may be interested in the post-master’s options of Project LEAD in order to prepare for the National Board and to develop leadership skills. Project LEAD offers a 12-credit post-master’s leadership certificate and a 30-credit post-master’s specialist degree, both of which can be taken entirely online. Four leadership courses, which correspond to the four required portfolio entries in Library Media for the National Board, form the core of the LEAD curriculum. These courses are: Information Leadership, Leadership in Reading, Leadership in Technology, and The Instructional Role of the Information Specialist. Florida State belongs to the Academic Common Market thus facilitating participation for students from other states.

For more information on Project LEAD, visit the Project LEAD section of the College of Information website.