Graduate Level Coursework in Educational Leadership

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Special courses, workshops, seminars and education experiences on selected timely topics.

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The purpose of this course is to explore contemporary views and theoretical assumptions that are important for effective leadership practice in PK - 12 schools. Students examine issues that shape perspectives about the fundamental purposes of our nation's elementary and secondary schools and analyze the influence leadership and dispositions have on the success of teaching and learning in a school setting.

This course is designed to develop some of the specific skills students need to be an effective school administrator. In this era of high-stakes accountability, school administrators must have a strong working knowledge of data available to them and how to interpret these data. They are also expected by their communities to make data-baSed decisions, implement and measure the effectiveness of their school reforms, and present information about their schools' performance to various groups, including parents, teachers, and school boards. Most of the course will be practical in nature, using real world examples of data whenever possible. Hands-on acitivities will be a primary focus with the emphasis placed on being able to understand types of data already available to schools in Iowa, and interpreting those data in multiple ways.

The purpose of this course is to examine and increase her/ his understanding of curriculum practices and principles as well as roles of school principals in shaping opportunities of successful education practices for all adults, children, and youth in the education setting. This course will build upon students' personal theories developed as experienced educators so they may compare the value and validity of personal theory with formal curriculum, professional development and adult learning theories in order to develop facilitative leadership skills.

The purpose of this course is to examine the important administrative issues that are having a profound impact on the role and management responsibilities of a building leader, in particular the school principal. Issues of building level operational procedures related to school organization, personnel, staffing, budgets, facilities, and family support systems are considered.

Full Title: Education Leadership for the Special Needs of All Children and Youth. The purpose of this course is to understand contemporary issues surrounding the special needs of all children and youth and to determine what educational leaders need to know as they strive to help themselves, teachers, staff, and the broader community serve the needs of all students in the regular education classroom and within the broader educational environment.

The purpose of this course is to understand the role of supervision for improvement of instruction. Adult and professional development are key course components as students plan and implement supervisory techniques aimed toward analyzing classroom instruction and applying supervisory techniques.

Full Title: Personnel Administration and Contract Negotiations. Personnel administration including public sector negotiations and contract management. Recruitment, selection and training of employees, motivation, morale, welfare and benefits, record keeping and the legal aspects are considered. The processes of negotiation, contract language issues and simulation experiences for both certified and classified employee groups will be covered.

See Department Chair for specific requirements.

Educators operate in a complex web of political relationships within schools, between education institutions and in their communities, and across levels of government. This course is designed to aid education leaders to become effective actors within this web of political relationships. It draws its intellectual base from research and theory in political science and public policy with application through case study and student projects.

The purpose of this course is to help prospective school leaders gain a general understanding of legal issues that building personnel must manage on a continual basis. Knowledge of common law and contractual requirements and procedures in an educational setting (e.g., tort liability, contract administration, formal hearings), legal issues surrounding special populations of students who experience limited school success at the building level, and the development of appropriate relationships with parents, district-level personnel, local school boards, and school attorneys in applying legal procedures fairly, wisely, and considerately are considered.

Full Title: School Finance and Facilities Management School finance functions, including development of budgets, purchasing, accounting, insurance, transportation and current problems in handling the business office. Building design, construction, maintenance, life-cycle costing, and finance will be covered.

The demand for effective leadership in education organizations is great. The purpose of this course is to explore several major theories of organizations and the implication organizational theory has for diagnosis and action. It will focus on those in leadership positions and the problems, dilemmas, and opportunities they face in educational, public, and human service organizations.

In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on the importance of community involvement with PK-12 schools. As a result, school leaders are expected to work closely with families and communities they serve in supporting the school goals for successful learning for all students. The course is designed to help students gain an understanding of how and why political, social, and economic contexts impact todays's early childhood, elementary, and secondary school programs, and to identify situations and leadership opportunities which successfully promote family involvement, parental education, and enhanced relationships between community's and their schools.

FIELD EXPERIENCE

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This intial course in the cohort will provide candidates with a working knowledge of the Iowa Standards for School Administrators and their relationship to leadership for learning. Students will also begin to develop an awareness of what effective leaders do to improve learning in their organizations. Multiple assessment measures (e.g. social style, learning style, emotional intelligence, etc.) will be utilized to assist learners in developing a vision and a plan for completing the program. This information will be utilized in generating Individual Learning Plans (ILP's) and the initial thinking and planning for students' developmental portfolios. The ILP and portfolio will serve as anchors for student development throughout the program. A review of the total program (courses, seminars, differentiation between field and clinical experiences, assessment, policies and procedures, and use of required technology) will also be included in the seminar.

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The concepts of leadership in general and school leadership in particular will be examined in their historical and contemporary contexts. Candidates will briefly examine the history of school leadership. Legal and policy applications in education leadership roles will also be studied. The course focus will be on contemporary views of leadership with emphasis on role expectations for school leaders for today and tomorrow.

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An introduction to contemporary systems theory and its applications to educational practice. Emphasis is placed on the role of the school principal in building and sustaining a learning community.

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A review and analysis of principle theories and models of human development, human learning and the design of instruction. Emphasis is placed upon the role of the school principal as the instructional leader.

Developing an understanding of the complex, interrelated nature of school and community. Study of the changing nature of community(history, demographics, expectations).Strategies to improve and sustain the community for the benefit of all children and their families.

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Applications of School Law, Mandates and Policies is a course that provides students with a basic understanding of how school laws, mandates and policies impact school administrators as they perform their responsibilities. Practical application of the academic content will be a central focus of instruction and student participation in the class.

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EDL 277 Current Issues in Special Education Administration. This course addresses a core responsibility of school leadership: leading for the benefit of all learners, including students with disabilities and other special needs. This course focuses on leadership for ensuring that the needs of students are the first priority in curriculum, instruction, assessment and school organization. Also emphasized will be the ethical, legal and professional dimensions of a school culture that promotes and values diversity.

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Supervision of Instruction is to provide candidates the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills necessary for effective supervison of teachers. Supervision will be studied within the context of accountability in the educational system. Completion of this course will provide three modules for Evaluator Approval with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (the 4th module, DDL, will be included in the instruction of EDL 275: Research, Measurement & Evalustion).

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This course will provide an overview of the management tasks for which school administrators are responsible. Grounding questions for the course will be: ""How do management tasks and functions contribute to student learning?"", and ""How do leaders for learning manage differently from traditional managers?"".

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The first of two clinical experience requirements is designed to integrate candidates' learning from course work, the standards, and field-based learning. Candidates will work in educational and other approved settings with trained mentors.

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This course continues the learning form EDL 280, with the primary purpose of providing candidates with authentic experience as part of earning PK-12 administrative licensure.

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The purpose of the course is to help students anaylze organizations and gain better understanding of personal leadership dispositions. Leading and managing organizations is not easy and attempts to improve organizations without adequate understandings are common. Whether trying to lead, follow or just survive, understanding the inherent complexity of leadership helps reduce surprise, confusion, and at times catastrophe. This course seeks to analyze exemplary leadership and develop knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to make positive differences in a group or organization. Public and private sectors increasingly impact one another, and shared understanding can h elp strengthen organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.

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The literature supports the fact that influential instructional leaders utilize data and information for organizational improvement efforts. This Web-assisted course is designed to prepare organizational leaders for utilizing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Application of the actual practices of education research: basic statistical concepts, quantitative methods, and qualitative methods.

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The goal of a socially just environment is full and equal participation of all members of the society. An ethical school leader oversees the distribution of resources to ensure that all members are physically, emotionally, psychologically safe and secure and that educational needs are met. This course is designed to increase school leaders' understanding of how their assumptions about diversity and equity shape educational policies and practices. It provides a platform for students to examine and reflect on their understanding of leadership for social justice, and challenges them to design socially just enfironments necessary to ensure educational equity and excellence.

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Systems experts, including Dr. Edwards Deming and Dr. Russell Ackoff, believed that the system itself is responsible for 95% of the behaviors in the system. In order to improve performance, it is necessary for leaders to understand and consider the benefits in deploying a systemic/systematic approach to continual improvement. Effective leaders carry out their roles from systems perspectives; viewing organizations as complex and dynamic in nature, with its people, equipment, and processes working together to achieve the system’s aim. However, systems thinking is not enough, for ultimately we seek ever-improving results. Leaders must be able to operationalize a systems perspective through effective strategic planning. This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of systems thinking and its application, including its foundations, key contributors to the body of knowledge, and applications for personal and professional leadership for the purpose of improving the systems they lead

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The role of Superintendent as Instructional Leader is crucial to the success of the school, and research findings indicate that superintendents of effective districts exhibit high levels of involvement in instructional matters. This course provides an overview of issues dealing with program design, development and evaluation that enhance teaching and learning in a multicultural society. Students in this course will be able to apply theories and knowledge of practices used in contemporary educational settings and effectively communicate to the public how district resources are being used to achieve instructional and curricular objectives.

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The purpose of this course is to provide students with a practical overview of human resource management from a school and district perspective. It is designed to study the theoretical as well as practical application of school personnel management from the beginning of a public school employee's career up through the end of the career. Basic background is presented on the selection, assignment, evaluation and development of school personnel, and attention is also given to collective bargaining and the grievance process.

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Research findings and business literature speak to the importance of management functions and skills in organizational leadership. The role of managerial leader is, therefore, an important consideration for individuals who aspire to become organizational leaders. There are moral and ethical responsibilities to manage in ways that support all students and adults in the organization. This course helps to prepare students for managing a myriad of responsibililties that support learning. A significant portion of the course is devoted to practical, hand-on applications that may be implemented upon assuming a new superintendent or AEA administrative position.

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Organizational leaders are responsible for resource management as part of their managerial role. This course is designed to enable students to assume the duties and ethical reponsibilities of financial and resource management in educational organizations. Current requirements, issues, trends and forces in school finance and their impact on organizations will be the focus of the course.

SUCCESSFUL SUPERINTENDENTS AND AEA ADMINISTRATORS MUST EXHIBIT SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SENSITIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH POLITICS. THESE ARE VITAL IN COLLABORATING WITH BOARDS OF EDUCATION AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY. THIS COURSE IS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE CONCEPTS OF LEADERSHIP AS THEY APPLY TO THE LEGAL FOUNDATION ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOLS. THIS COURSE WILL FOCUS ON THE LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE SUCCESSFUL LEADER TO KNOW AND EXHIBIT WHILE LEADING A SCHOOL DISTRICT.

This course encompasses the total program experience, from student orientation to mid-program review, and finally the culminating student presentation of learning.

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Iowa Standards Assessment Field Experience is required for all students seeking principal certification. The purpose of this field experience is to complete and finalize the professional portfolio with examples of work from leadership assessment, career development field experience, and coursework as related to each of the Iowa Standards.

This course involves extensive work by the student with a cooperating faculty member. A pre-arranged plan of the project or work must be completed and reviewed and approved by the student's advisor. This work may involve extensive on-going research/writing by the student with a faculty member on a research project or in a topic inquiry area. This work might involve an integrated essay, a multi-media project, an action/applied research project, and/or an ethnographic reflection.