Professional preparation leading to certification and/or licensure as a school principal, school superintendent, school psychologist, or school counselor shall include studies (at least one course, preferably two or more) in foundations of education. Such coursework must utilize the foundations’ interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives to address: (1) societal and cultural influences on schooling; (2) the analysis of policy issues; and (3) the ethical dimensions of schooling.

This Standard seeks to ensure common general qualifications in foundational studies among certification and/or licensure candidates in programs in such fields as educational leadership, school psychology, and school counseling.

Candidates seeking certification and/or licensure in educational leadership, school psychology, and school counseling must be able to employ informed interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives on educational arrangements, practices, and discourse. At levels appropriate to graduate level study, foundational instruction exposes students to research and field experiences that promote knowledge and understanding of the content and context of fundamental issues and themes in the fields of school leadership, psychology, and counseling. Faculty in institutions that include educational psychology among foundational studies should note that instruction in the behavioral sciences alone cannot satisfy this Standard. Rather, this Standard is addressed specifically to instruction in humanistic and social foundational studies. It assumes that additional studies in the behavioral sciences are required. Instruction intended to satisfy this Standard is offered by faculty typically associated with the Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, or Educational Policy Studies who meet the qualifications stipulated under Standard VIII.