600

In this course candidates will consider the social, economic, and political considerations related to financing public schools. Adequacy and allocation provide the lens for analysis and critique of existing policies and practices. Candidates will learn about effective practices for decision-making and resource allocation that support improved student achievement. The changing landscape of federal, state, and local funding, will also be reviewed and discussed throughout course activities.

In this course candidates will extend their proficiency to lead schools that promote the academic success and well-being of all students. Coursework requires candidates to engage in self-assessment, reflection, goal-setting and interpersonal effectiveness. Candidates will also analyze the school setting and examine school structures that promote or hinder effective educational practice, and evaluate policy, curriculum, and instruction from a lens that considers promoting the academic success and well-being of all students. Candidates will learn how to create learning communities where all students feel safe.

This course introduces students to a systems approach to design, implement, and support transformational change required for improved teaching and learning. Students will examine the conditions, competencies, climate, and context affecting organizational change, and the critical skills required to lead a change initiative. Students will also identify the barriers to change and strategies to build capacity, develop high-functioning teams, improve decision-making, and assess progress to sustain change initiatives.

In this course, students are introduced to leadership theories, principles, and styles. Students explore how leaders work to establish a climate and conditions that foster both adult and student learning. Building professional learning communities, cultivating relationships, and establishing trust among internal and external stakeholders will be addressed. Communication and advocacy skills for the school leader, capacity building, and sustaining organizational initiatives will also be examined.

In this course, students will focus on community engagement through the exploration and analysis of school/educational policy in community settings. Power structures, social and political contexts, population changes, and principles of serving all students are examined as they affect school and community relations. Students will explore principles of community development such as autonomy, self-determination, and the integration of community resources. Students will also examine understanding, group dynamics, community organizing, interagency cooperation, financial resources, and evaluation.

This course focuses on federal and national trends in education policy. An examination and analysis of the way these trends influence policy and political action at the school district level are addressed by focusing on governance structures, politics, and the influence of interest groups. Candidates will develop an understanding of the fundamentals of school law addressing legal issues involving special education and bilingual education to ensure that laws are upheld and applied fairly with the goal of enhancing school climate and student learning. Candidates will analyze cases while developing a working knowledge of educational politics and policy.

In this course, students are introduced to models and processes for curriculum planning, organization, and evaluation through a district leadership perspective. Traditional and contemporary curriculum theories and frameworks are examined as they relate to curriculum issues and problems. Macro and micro levels of curriculum are explored to understand how knowledge is shaped in schools and how the curriculum is organized to assist students in meeting specific learning goals. Strategies for conducting curriculum and program evaluation will be explored. Case studies are used to develop a practical working knowledge of contemporary problems and solutions to issues of curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment.

This course focuses on school change in the contexts of teacher learning and organizational climate. School improvement, teacher and school support personnel learning, and vision are linked by a focus on teaching as the core technology of schools. School climate, professionalism, educator knowledge, and instructional leadership are examined to build instructional capacity and professionalism within the organization. State-specific models of principal, teacher, and staff evaluation will be explored as current concepts of adult learning and professional development.

This course is designed to support candidates through the dissertation writing process by focusing on scholarly writing. The course will emphasize developing good dissertation writing practices and finding a scholarly voice. Candidates will analyze exemplars and use current course assignments for writing practice.

In this course, students will examine the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for a school leader to guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the district level. Identifying and exploring assumptions, principles, and concepts of learning theories, strategies, and assessments to foster a learning community that promotes the academic success and well-being of all students will be emphasized. Research-based intervention systems will be explored with strategies for the development of multi-tiered systems of support. The use of technology to inform and enhance instruction will also be examined.

This course focuses on how well a school district functions as an organization. Students combine sociological analysis of organizational roles, structures, and dynamics with practitioner research methods to understand better and assess their school district’s organizational conditions, context, climate, and competencies. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied to various organizational structures and operating systems that impact power distribution, information flow, collegiality, school climate, and leadership development to uncover and build organizational capacity from within.

In this course, students analyze and critique theories, paradigms, and methods of practitioner-focused research that impact district educational policy and decision-making. This includes evaluation, experimental, and various forms of both quantitative and qualitative research. Students also study research that informs and influences product development (e.g., achievement tests, software, textbooks, training programs), policy decisions, and evaluation techniques utilized in the field by principals, superintendents, and state-level educational administrators.

In this course, candidates study the methodologies, assumptions, and techniques for various types of data collection and analysis used by continuous improvement. The course begins with an overview of ethical data collection, then moves to a deeper examination of qualitative data collection methodologies as well as quantitative methodologies. Throughout the course, candidates participate in their own data collection projects to develop a practitioner's knowledge of research, evaluation, and data use for improvement.

The Internship in Educational Leadership provides interns with the opportunity to apply theoretical and empirical knowledge. Under the direction of an advising professor and a cooperating superintendent (or other district administrators with a superintendent endorsement), the intern will engage in district-level leadership experiences. Nine internship projects will address high-quality curricular, instructional, assessment, and financial resources that promote school improvement in the following settings: general education, special education, bilingual education, and gifted education.