Students will participate in a variety of self-assessment activities, simulations, and group discussions designed to provide information about and insight into effective leadership in schools. Offered at least once a year.
Winter 2025 - Hybrid Spring/Summer 2025 - Online
Study of a variety of organizational development approaches used in leading staff through curriculum development. Topics include preplanning, principles of curriculum decision-making, effective schools research, participatory strategies for curriculum problem solving, and the process of change. Emphasis on leadership skill building. May be combined with EDL 652. Offered at least twice a year.
Winter 2025 - Online Spring/Summer 2025 - Online
Emphasis on enabling leaders to generate the tools to improve elementary schools. Topics include organizational development, problem solving, goal setting, organizational change, employee motivation and communication, resolution of conflicts, and clinical supervision and evaluation. Analysis of topics will emphasize effects research and descriptive theory. Offered at least once a year.
Responsibilities in staff supervision, staffing needs, certification, selection, assignment, promotion, salaries, retirement, absences, teachers' organizations, grievances, collective bargaining, and supervision of student teachers. Offered once a year.
General legal principles and laws that affect general and special education. Emphasis on sources and scope of school law, legal rights and responsibilities of teachers, pupils, and taxpayers. Procedural, historical, and jurisprudential dimensions of American law are stressed. Offered at least once a year.
Emphasis on giving leaders the tools to make ongoing improvement in secondary schools. Topics include organizational development, problem solving, goal setting, organizational change, employee motivation, and communication, resolution of conflicts, and clinical supervision and evaluation. Analysis of topics will emphasize effects research and descriptive theory. Offered at least once a year.
This course is designed to assist school leaders in developing an effective school community relations plan. Emphasis will be on creating effective communications formats to address internal and external populations. Candidates will be actively involved in the process of creating positive communication plans that will help gain support for the school's program.
The student identifies a problem, reviews literature, creates a product based on applicable literature, research or theory that addresses the problem, and develops a plan for implementation and evaluation. Offered every semester. Prerequisites: Completion of 27 credit hours, EDF 660, application required (application deadline: fall May 15, winter September 15, spring/summer February 15), and completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research Training within last three years.
Spring/Summer 2025 - Online
This course is designed to develop understanding and skills associated with generating a school culture that is responsive to change/reform and embodies the philosophical underpinnings of systemic change. Students will research and discuss theories of organizational change and explore various strategies to bring these theories into practice through administrative leadership. Offered at least once a year.
Winter 2025 - Online
Principles of data-based decision-making and their applications in educational settings will be explored through readings and case studies. Technology's use in addressing problems in management and instruction will be included. Offered at least once a year.
Spring/Summer 2025 - Hybrid
This course will review the legal framework of education and various legal issues that are imperative for educational leaders to be able to identify, understand, and incorporate within their administrative responsibilities. Emphasis is placed on the legal framework with a focus on discipline, equity, and personnel issues. Offered at least once a year.
This course will provide a broad view of the roles and responsibilities of the superintendent of schools. Areas of study include developing a vision; establishing policies; decision-making; establishing relationships with the Board of Education, staff, students, and community; curriculum/instruction; human resources; politics and education in a larger context. Offered at least once a year.
Winter 2025 - Hybrid
This course focuses on the major factors that influence the relationship between the Board of Education and the superintendent of schools. Areas examined are the nature of policy development and administration, the influence of external factors on local control, and the discretionary authority boards grant their superintendents. Offered fall semester.
This course emphasizes theories of economics, finance, and taxation as applied to educational complexities pervasive in the fiscal management and operations of public schools. It focuses on current political and economic issues affecting public schools and is designed to promote thoughtful decision-making by school administrators with respect to school financial matters. Offered at least once a year.
