Students in the educational leadership program are strongly encouraged to take this course first in the educational leadership course sequence. Roles and functions of administrators in elementary and secondary schools will be addressed. A variety of theories will be analyzed and applied in the context of the dynamic milieu, personal and group biases, and the multivariate issues facing organizational life in schools.
Major functions concerning the supervision of staff in a school setting including the selection, orientation, and development of staff members will be covered. Theories and techniques for promoting a positive school climate will be explored and applied. Alternative approaches to assessing and enhancing a staff's instructional competence will be examined. Prerequisite: AD 5010.
This course is designed for students in the Educational Leadership and Counseling programs. Students will gain knowledge of statistical concepts, including reliability and validity, scales of measurement, measures of central tendency, indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, and correlations. Each student will develop a complete proposal for a program in their profession, including a needs assessment, data collection design, review of related literature, and plans for implementation and evaluation.
The development of school budgets that support the planning processes within a school setting will be covered. Other relevant topics will include cost effectiveness, revenue sources, communication with the public, capital projects, state and federal programs, using the budget to promote excellence in the schools, and principles and practices in collective bargaining. Prerequisite: AD 5010.
Leading the participatory process for developing curricula in schools will be addressed. The relationship of philosophy, a school's identity, and mission to curricula is emphasized. Included are strategies for developing, assessing, and revising curricula as well as a review of recent research and trends. The course is intended for experienced educators who currently fill or aspire to the roles of school principal, team leader, or department chair. Prerequisite: AD 5010; to be taken concurrently with or after ED 5060.
Federal and state laws that apply to school systems, educational programs, and personnel will be discussed. Also covered will be the legal prerogatives available to the administrator and local boards of education. Consideration of constitutional, statutory, and case-law foundations of education systems, and the school administrator's role will be discussed. Prerequisite: AD 5010.
A practical encounter with the administrative practices, strategies and policies presently used in the public schools. Practicum visitations are required as part of the course and will be especially designed to match the experience, occupational aspirations and interests of the student. Conference with the instructor and meetings with fellow students will provide for exchange of ideas and reports of observations. AD 5010 and AD 5020 recommended but not required. It is recommended that this course be taken near the end of the candidate's program.
Please note that this course will be held at the SAU 16 Offices located on the Tuck Learning Campus at 30 Linden Street, Exeter, NH 03833.
An overview of sound planning and evaluation models as applied to specific educational problems. Discussion will include collaborative strategies to implement effective change within the school setting. This course should be taken as the final course in either the MEd in Educational Leadership or the School Principal K-12 Professional Certification.
Dynamic Teacher Leadership is a course designed for the master/experienced classroom teacher/specialist who is passionate about making a difference in education and aspires to take or is currently involved in a leadership role in his/her school and district. Current best practices will be examined, along with emerging standards in the area of teacher leadership. The various ways in which an educator can apply leadership skills, without being an administrator in a school, will be explored.