Education (EDL)

The study of instructional leadership emphasizes the appropriate use of instructional practices within the framework of theory and research to enhance organizational effectiveness and improve school culture. The course will require students to develop a general knowledge and understanding of the use of student performance outcomes and data-driven decision making in the areas of curriculum, instruction, data gathering and analysis, goal setting, conferencing, team building, and teacher coaching and mentoring.

This course provides an overview of the history of educational leadership in American K-16 education from the American Revolution to the present and the major philosophies of educational leadership that have guided that history. While, at times, we will talk about educational leadership broadly, candidates can focus their learning toward K-12 or higher education contexts. In addition, this course considers the implications of educational leadership theory and practice for current contexts and will challenge candidates to examine and articulate their own philosophy of educational leadership.

This course includes the historical, sociological, philosophical, and psychological examination of school curriculum, theories, trends and curriculum structure. The course also prepares the candidates to make decisions about best practices that should be implemented in the classroom a part of the teaching and learning process. The course emphasizes the conceptual framework and skills, as well as the values and beliefs, which inform effective school and organizational leadership. This course also explores research based methods for implementing instruction based upon the work of theorists that have presented pedagogy.

This course will focus on the skills necessary for principals to effectively work with faculty and staff. Concepts and approaches for planning and implementing activities for effective human resource management will be explored. Current theories and practices relating to recruitment, development, and appraisal of personnel will be covered. The course will examine specific personnel functions such as recruitment, selection, retention, and evaluation. Additional topics include conflict resolution, effective communication skills, managing the change process, and creating and maintaining a positive school environment. Special attention will be given to evaluation strategies, measuring results, and designing training and developing programs for faculty and staff. Evaluation of personnel for the purpose of meeting school objectives and for professional development will receive emphasis.

In this course, candidates learn about and embody the critical and creative thinking skills necessary to be effective educational leaders of K-16 organizations. The first part of the course will examine, broadly, the cognitive neuroscience of how our brains work and the psychology of decision-making to help us understand why we make the decisions and believe the things we do. Then, using a critical inquiry approach, candidates will discover critical and creative thinking frameworks to examine personal leadership assumptions, biases, and experiences to establish a foundation on which to expand knowledge, self-assessment, and self-realization. After introspective inquiry, candidates will look outward at the structure, organization, governance, and actors within their educational organization and imagine possibilities for creatively and critically inquiring around problems of practice.

This course explores legal, ethical and politics issues governing K-16 education in America and the legal responsibilities and powers of state and local governing bodies and individuals that arise in educational organizations. Emphasis is given to federal and state statutes and case law affecting due process, liability, equal protection, and the rights of teachers and students in order to better understand the risks in education management and possible strategies to reduce those risks.