Master of Arts in Educational Administration, Principal Endorsement Program Course Sequence and Descriptions

Transcription

1 Master of Arts in Educational Administration, Principal Endorsement Program Course Sequence and Descriptions EDU 615 Principal as School Leader (3 credit hours) In this course, candidates will develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to effectively promote social justice schooling as a school leader. Candidates are introduced to educational administration in early childhood, elementary and secondary schools, be it public, parochial, private or charter, elementary or secondary. While considerable attention will be given to the theoretical and conceptual issues related to the school principalship, these theories, concepts, models will be applied to the realities of successful, productive school leadership. Using research, theory from education, business and the social sciences, and knowledge based on effective practices, candidates will examine various aspects of the daily work of principals, the characteristics of effective schools, and leading school improvement. Participants will deepen their understanding of how to create schools that promote excellence and equity within the current standards-based climate. Special attention will be given to how principals lead, manage, and shape school culture. Emphasis will be placed on creating a sustainable, shared vision, conducting an organizational audit, and developing an entry plan. EDU 616 Leadership, Innovation, and Change (3 credit hours) In this course, candidates will deepen their knowledge base about the change process and will develop a repertoire of skills, competencies and strategies needed to lead change and continuous school improvement efforts in early childhood, elementary, and high school settings--public, charter and Catholic. Candidates will become knowledgeable about the theoretical underpinnings of change leadership and transition management, and translating that research into practice. Candidates will learn how to build high functioning teams, conduct effective meetings, and develop facilitation skills to build a shared vision and mission. Candidates will create a data-driven needs assessment, develop school-level SMART goals and strategies that are aligned to the mission and vision, develop a strategic plan of action, and an implementation/ monitoring plan. EDU 617 Leadership in Curriculum, Literacy and Numeracy (3 credit hours) This course requires candidates to examine the educational leader s role as a facilitator of learning. It will provide candidates with the rationale and theoretical framework for analyzing and interpreting the curriculum, and creating, implementing, and aligning instructional plans to achieve academic goals and standards. Candidates will examine the role of a principal in developing and aligning curriculum with the Common Core Standards. They will explore ways to develop assessment and accountability systems to

2 monitor student learning and progress; maximize time spent on quality instruction; develop an understanding of meaningful differentiation to meet the needs of all learners; recognize the benefits of integration of content with literacy and numeracy instruction; and evaluate, implement and monitor instructional programs and instructional practices that maximize the best use of teacher and teaching time. Candidates will develop knowledge of effective curricula design; strategies to modify and adapt curricula materials to meet individual students needs including special education, ELL, and gifted learners; become informed about implications and applications of NCLB and RTI; promote the interpretation, use and application of meaningful data; become familiar with most effective and appropriate technologies to support teaching and learning; understand different professional development models and design and implement effective professional development programs; and examine and implement research based literacy and numeracy curriculum, materials, strategies, programs, and effective instructional practices. EDU 627 Leading Diverse Learning Communities (3 credit hours) This course is designed to examine the leader s role in increasing the awareness of the diversity found within our schools and examines strategies to create environments that support comprehensive, rigorous and coherent curricular programs that maximize learning for all students through quality instruction. This course will examine ways to promote the use of the most effective and appropriate technologies to support teaching and learning. Candidates will examine gender issues, culture, ethnicity, race, different community values and customs, socio-economic issues, students exceptionalities, the myriad of native languages and how they can foster learning environments that build on students strengths and address their unique needs. This course will increase a candidate s cultural competence and increase their skills in communicating with and providing quality instruction with students with different learning styles, communication skills, differing academic strengths and needs, and differing norms. Candidates will increase their ability to use strategies to increase the academic proficiency of all students found in the learning environment; this would include students identified for special education services, English language learning supports, and gifted programming. As a way to promote and protect the welfare and safety of students and staff, this course will cover issues concerning school bullying. Candidates will consider and evaluate the potential moral and legal consequences of decision-making in a process that models principles of self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior. EDU 629 Human Resource Management and Development (3 credit hours) This course investigates the different aspects of staff and professional development as a tool to promote organizational learning and to promote continuous and sustainable improvement. The course examines best practices in the hiring of qualified staff, the induction and mentoring of new staff members, and evaluation of certified staff. The course will explore the interrelationships between the design and implementation of staff development to ensure opportunities are intertwined to maximize quality instruction to increase students academic achievement. This course increases the candidate s ability to nurture and sustain a culture of collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations. The course examines the collection and use of data in an informed process when initiating, developing, monitoring, evaluating, and revising the impact of professional development and induction programs. Additional foci

3 include strategies to supervise instruction when using walk-throughs and ensuring teacher time is focused to support quality instruction and student learning. Candidates will explore, investigate and gain initial competence in the components and framework of the state mandated teacher evaluation tool (TeachScape and/or REACH). The course will enhance the candidate to develop the staff s capacity for distributed leadership by promoting and nurturing of professional learning communities. EDU 638 The Management and Finance of Schools (3 credit hours) This course explores the moral, legal, and ethical issues surrounding the way schools are funded and the way resources are allocated by private, parochial, and public educational entities. The course focuses on the elements of financial planning, procedures for responsible fiscal management, considerations for facility use, processes used in determining internal and external contractual services, the exploration and writing of grant opportunities, and issues surrounding contract negotiations and staff compensation. Candidates consider the fundamental questions of financial adequacy and equity in today s 21st century schools and examine the related issues of social justice when considering financial decisions required of school leaders. The course will examine social, legal, and demographic trends and how it impacts budgets and financial projections. Additionally, issues of school management will be addressed which emphasize making the most of resources (people, time, money, technology, physical plant). Particular attention will be given to managing time (restructuring, scheduling, time management, effective meetings); technology (communications support, writing technology plans, implementation, technology for teaching and learning, technology applications for school administration, security, student information systems); physical plant (care of the physical plant, maintenance, custodial schedules, safety and security, supplies and equipment, inventories); and people (determining staffing needs, recruitment strategies, deployment of personnel, working with professional and paraprofessional staff). EDU 639 Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability in Schools (3 credit hours) Assessment and accountability go hand in hand in the effort to improve academic achievement for all children. This course investigates emerging trends in assessment, probes the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, and raises important questions about high-stakes testing and its impact on student learning. It is designed to provide candidates with the action research competencies needed to become data-driven leaders who lead collaborative teams to organize, synthesize and evaluate schoollevel and classroom level data and use the results to create strategic action plans for the continuous improvement of powerful teaching and learning for P-12 regular and special needs students. EDU 643 School Law (3 credit hours) This course provides candidates an in-depth study of the legal foundations of schooling in the United States as well as an examination of current legal trends and issues impacting schools. Candidates examine the law and the impact that legal decisions have on the management and operation of public (including charter) and private schools to promote efficient, effective and safe (physical and emotional) learning environments. Candidates will consider and evaluate the potential moral and legal consequences of decision-making. Candidates will consider ways in which policies and laws impact all children, regardless of socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, disability, or other individual

4 characteristics; and advocate for changes to policies and laws that may work against learning and success for all students. Included in the course of study are legal issues related to educating special populations (e.g. the education of children with disabilities, English Language Learners). Bullying prevention is also addressed from the legal and policy dimension. EDU 644 School, Family and Community Relations (3 credit hours) In this course, candidates will explore the administrator s role in building and sustaining positive and productive relationships with staff, parents, and community partners to work collaboratively in the improvement of student learning and social-emotional development. The candidate will experience ways to be an educational leader through discussion, interactive exploration, group analysis, and networking which will serve to collaboratively develop and implement shared visions and missions. The focus of this course is on parent and community involvement, communication with the many school stakeholders, school-business partnerships, school board relations, community and political leaders and additional areas of interest that promote understanding, appreciation, possible use of the community s diverse cultural, social and intellectual resources. Candidates will gain an appreciation and knowledge of the community s diverse cultural, social and intellectual resources to be able to build and sustain positive relationships with families and caregivers and build and maintain strong relationships with community partners. Additionally, this course focuses on the development of interpersonal communication concepts and skills that school leaders need to effectively lead the twenty-first century school. Candidates will examine and practice team building strategies to develop the capacity for distributed leadership. Candidates will explore the use of technology as a communication, teaching, and learning tool to support student achievement. This course will examine leadership strategies to be used in conflict resolution, shared decision-making, communication during crises, and the many modes of communication available to administrators. EDU 646 Internship I (2 credit hours) demonstrate proficiencies in required competencies expected of a principal. Candidates will participate in a two-week full time residency during Internship I. Candidates will complete one of the three Statemandated projects and at least 10 of the SREB competencies. EDU 647 Internship Seminar I (1 credit hour) Candidates will meet at least four times per semester during Internship I with university faculty, the

5 work toward preparation of an individual, comprehensive Personal Learning System web-based tool as EDU 648 Internship II (2 credit hours) demonstrate proficiencies in required competencies expected of a principal. Candidates will complete one of the three State-mandated projects and at least 12 (total of 22) of the SREB competencies. EDU 649 Internship Seminar II (1 credit hour) Candidates will meet at least four times per semester during Internship II with university faculty, the work toward preparation of an individual, comprehensive Personal Learning System web-based tool as EDU 662 Internship III (2 credit hours) demonstrate proficiencies in required competencies expected of a principal. Candidates will complete one of the three State-mandated projects and the remaining SREB competencies (total of 36 activities). EDU 663 Internship Seminar III (1 credit hour) Candidates will meet at least four times per semester during Internship III with university faculty, the work toward preparation of an individual, comprehensive Personal Learning System web-based tool as