Educational Leadership (Ed.S.)

This course is an in-depth study of effective data based decision-making practices for contemporary school leaders. Formative and summative data based decision making practices will be explored, as well as how to work with large and small groups of staff members to analyze multiple measures of data and create school improvement designs for student and school success. An emphasis is placed on using data to make decisions at the division, school, and classroom levels. Prerequisite: ELS 600 or ELS 700 or ELS 800.

This course teaches aspiring school leaders how politics and policy shapes school-based decision making and how school leaders can influence politics and policy processes to improve learning environments for children. The course focuses contemporary problems that confront school leaders as they work to improve the conditions of learning for their students, faculty, and staff. To effectively address and solve problems school leaders need to understand the processes of policymaking at various educational levels and to develop the relevant skills of policymaking needed at the school level. Thus, this course addresses the following three essential principles of educational politics and policy as they apply to school level administrators: political and policy dynamics that influence their work in schools; accurately identify, diagnose, and develop the right solutions to the right problems in order to achieve instructional goals of the school and division; and confront, engage in, and effectively deal with conflict (i.e., politics) emanating from within the school, division, or community in order to achieve school and division learning goals. Prerequisite: ELS 600 or ELS 700 or ELS 800.

This course serves as an introduction for prospective administrators to the social and political context of the educational environment. The underlying concept of this course is collaboration. Today's administrators face a variety of multifaceted challenges in their daily routines. Therefore, they must recognize the impact of political, socioeconomic situations, community diversity, equity issues, and school community relations on their leadership practices. Prerequisite: ELS 600 or ELS 700 or ELS 800.