Department of Educational Leadership
Western Illinois University
Summer, 2015
All Three Campuses!
Stuart Yager. Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Educational Leadership
Room 81
Macomb Campus
Work: 309-298-1070
Cell: 309-255-0955
E-mail: so-yager@wiu.edu
Office Hours: Before and after each class
EDL 620: The Superintendent and Educational Governance
Instructional, managerial, and political roles of the Chief School Administrator (Superintendent) and central office staff; school district organization and governance; relations with federal and state governments and the role and operation of the board of education. http://www.wiu.edu/graduate_studies/catalog/edleadership.php>
14 hours of postmaster's coursework in educational leadership, including EDL 600, 617, 627 or equivalent courses. http://www.wiu.edu/graduate_studies/catalog/edleadership.php>
Participants will understand and practice effective leadership skills essential in the successful performance of the duties and responsibilities of the school Superintendent.
The student will
1. demonstrate knowledge of the components of an appropriately conducted BOE meeting and the roles of the members and the Superintendent.
2. demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of good BOE relations with the Superintendent as well as the pitfalls to avoid to ensure that good relationship.
3. demonstrate problem-solving skills in responding to real life chief school administrator scenarios.
4. review and report current literature on school governance.
5. demonstrate knowledge of internet resources available for Superintendents.
6. demonstrate a familiarization with terms (e.g. FOIA, OMA, RIF, Public Forum, Servant Leader etc.) and concepts essential to all Superintendents.
7. demonstrate the ability to conduct state level communication to facilitate the support of education.
8. develop a leadership philosophy to address day-to-day school district operations.
9. examine recent developments in the area of teacher contracts, evaluations, and salary.
10. recognize the necessary components to seeking and obtaining the Superintendency as well as surviving the first year of the Superintendency.
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The Servant as Leader (Essay Only) (1991)
Author: Greenleaf
Publisher: The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
Available at WIU bookstore & www.greenleaf.org
What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know (2006)
Authors: Rosborg, McGee, Burgett
Publisher: Gordon Burgett
ISBN: 978-0-9101672-1-5
Available at www.superintendents-and-principals.com
Moving Into the Superintendency: How to Succeed in Making the Transition (2012)
Author: Kersten
Publisher: Rowan and Littlefield Education
ISBN: 978-1-61048-436-7
Coming to Order: A Guide to Successful School Board Meetings (2011)
Illinois Association of School Boards
Available at www.iasb.com
(Click on Bookstore bottom left of website) or
Phone: 217-528-9688 to order
ISBN: 1-88033118-7
Entry – How To Begin A Leadership Position Successfully - The Entry Plan Approach:
Authors: Jentz and Wofford
Publisher: Leadership and Learning Inc.
ISBN: 10-0615402356 or 13-9780615402352
Available at www.entrybook.com
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Day 3
6/17/15
Day 4
6/18/15
Day 5
6/29/15
Day 6
6/30/15
Date
Day 1
6/10/15
Day 2
6/11/15
Calendar of Topics
Topics
Educational Philosophy Theory & Practice
Servant Leader
Superintendent Scenarios
Case Studies and Key Points from Texts
Superintendent Scenarios
Leadership and Welcome Back
Readings Due
Servant Leader Read Servant
Leader before first day class
"Every S. & P.
Needs to Know" and “Moving Into”
Texts
Provided in class
#1:Complete
Today In Class
#2
#3 and #4
Superintendent Evaluations
Board Meetings and Community Involvement
Planning for the first year
#5
#6
#7 and
Final Exam
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Point Values for the Course Assignments
ASSIGNMENTS
Individual (100%)
Class Participation
EDL Philosophy Statement
Welcome Back Speech
Book Report
Text Presentation
Coming to Order Discussion
Legislator and Community Involvement Plan
Entry Plan
Final Exam
Total
PERCENT
10
10
10
10
10
20
10
10
10
100
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All assignments are to be submitted by posting them in their designated folder in Western Online.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
EDL Philosophy Statement. Using concepts discussed during class, prepare an educational leadership philosophy statement. Post your statement in Western Online.
Welcome Back Speech. Using concepts from the required texts, class discussion, and your own passion, prepare and deliver a “Welcome Back/Start of the New School Year” speech to the class. The speech should be motivational and approximately 10 minutes in length. The intended audience is the entire staff at a district where you are their new superintendent. Post your notes or speech text in
Western Online.
Book Report. Prepare and present a book report about a leadership book that interests you. The book should be related to executive leadership and becoming a successful superintendent. Consider use Spicy Nodes, Prezi, or Glogster to make you presentation (these presentation tools are similar to
Power Point). Post your presentation in Western Online.
Using the two texts – What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs To Know and Moving Into The
Superintendency, prepare and present to the class a 10-minute power point presentation that you might present to a group of both school board members and principals that summarizes the key and essential points you gleaned from both texts. Keep in mind that your audience is both school board members and principals – but NOT teachers. Post your presentation in Western Online.
Prepare and lead the discussion on an assigned chapter from the "Coming to Order" text. This assignment will be completed during class time and will be done in small groups. The discussion should include key points and discussion questions. Post your discussion notes in Western Online.
6.
State Legislator Interview and Plan for Efficient and Effective Community Involvement. It would be best if the interview could take place during a face-to-face meeting but, due to time constraints, a telephone interview will be acceptable. The primary purpose of the interview is to understand the legislator’s role, responsibilities, and daily routine as it pertains to public education. In addition, the interview should help you develop a plan for involving the larger context (community, parents, teachers, and administrators) in addressing educational issues. The following questions should be considered as introductory or starting questions and, in no way limit the interviewee from developing additional questions or asking probing follow-up questions during the interview. As a professional courtesy, you should consider forwarding a copy of your questions to the legislator 5-7 days PRIOR to your scheduled interview. QUESTIONS: Please give me a brief summary of your background qualifications that prepared you for your current legislator role. How do you and your staff solicit input from your various constituencies? How would you recommend a “concerned educational leader” get involved in influencing state level educational policy? What is the most effective way for community members and parents to express a point of view to you and your staff? Can you give an example of recent legislation that impacted YOUR school districts in a way NOT expected (either positive or negative)? How do you and your staff develop “positions” on various education issues / proposed legislation? Please summarize the answers to your questions AND address the following --
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7.
In outline or narrative form (2-page maximum): Develop a plan to effectively involve community, parent, staff and administrators in influencing state level educational policy that directly impacts your district. In addition, develop a plan for regularly informing the larger context of the successes and problems of your district incorporating the legislator’s ideas. Finally, develop a personal professional plan for your efficient and effective involvement in influencing educational policy at the local, regional and state level. Post your plan in Western Online.
Using the Entry Plan text, prepare and present to the class a brief power point presentation that gives key points and timelines to an entry plan. The plan should be one that you might use during the interview process for a superintendency and implement upon getting your first job as a superintendent.
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Grading
Percent
92-100
80-91
70-79
Grade
A
B
C
Notes
A = Superior Graduate Work
B = Good Graduate Work
C = Unacceptable Work at the
Graduate Level
60-69
0-59
D
F
A work exceeds requirements in some form, shows originality and clarity, insightful and reflective.
B work thoroughly meets requirements and is coherent with only minor flaws.
C work minimally addresses requirements and contains flaws or shortcomings.
Group Work and Learning Team Assignments
You will be assigned to a learning team during the first class. If you have any special requests regarding group assignments, please contact me privately as soon as possible.
Your participation in the Learning Team is essential to the success of the course! Lack of participation in the learning team will result in a reduction of the grade, or no grade for that project for the individual(s) involved.
Diversity
Successful teachers and school administrators embrace diversity. They not only welcome it, they search for it.
They engage diversity, as it is indeed, an integral part of their classroom. We will explore diversity as we journey together through this course. Diversity will be openly discussed and become a catalyst and synergize our learning during class time.
NOTE: This course syllabus is not a contract, but serves as an outline for the semester. The instructor reserves the right to make adjustments the course as the need arises.
In accordance with the provisions of the ADA, if you require any special assistance or adaptations in this course, please contact the instructor immediately.
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eSchool News
National Bureau of Economic Research
Consortium for Policy Research in Education
Wisconsin Center for Educational Research
Clearinghouse on Educational Policy & Management
Center for American Progress
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Attendance
A 500-level student who is absent for more than 50% of a scheduled day of a Weekend Academy class will be assigned a grade of incomplete (I) by the instructor and must make up the appropriate day in its entirety the next time the course is offered in order to change the Incomplete to a letter grade. If a student is absent for more than 50% of the first day of a weekend academy class, the instructor may, at his or her discretion, either exclude the student from attending the class or award an incomplete under this attendance policy.
If a 600-level student is absent for more than 50% of a scheduled day of a weekend academy, the instructor may assign an Incomplete (I) and require that the student make up the appropriate day the next time the course is offered. Under rare circumstances, the instructor may elect to assign the student additional activities to demonstrate that the student has accomplished the course outcomes missed in class. If this option is chosen, then in advance of completion, the instructor will report to the Chair the name of the student, time missed, and a summary of the work assigned as make up.
Incomplete Grade for Missing Course Requirements
An incomplete grade may be given only when a student, due to circumstances beyond his or her control, is unable to complete course requirements within the official limits of the term. The instructor may allow additional time for completion of the requirements after consideration of a written petition from the student to the instructor. The petition must include what the student will do to complete the requirement and the expected date of completion of the incomplete requirements.
Academic Accommodations
In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s) you must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through Disability Support Services and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Support
Services at 298-2512 for additional services.
WIU Academic Dishonesty Policy
The University can best function and accomplish its objectives in an atmosphere where high ethical standards prevail. For this reason, and to insure that the academic work of all students will be fairly evaluated, the University strongly condemns academic dishonesty. The most prevalent forms of academic dishonesty are cheating and plagiarism. Dishonesty of any kind with respect to examinations, course assignments, alteration of records, or illegal possession of examinations shall be considered cheating. It is the responsibility of the student to not only abstain from cheating, but also to avoid making it possible for others to cheat. Any student who knowingly helps another student cheat is as guilty of cheating as the student he or she assists.
The submission of the work of someone else as one's own constitutes plagiarism. Academic honesty requires that ideas or materials taken from another course for use as a course paper or project be fully acknowledged. Plagiarism is a very serious offense in whatever form it may appear, be it submission of an entire article falsely represented as the student's own, the inclusion within a piece of the student's writing of an idea for which the student does not provide sufficient documentation, or the inclusion of a documented idea not sufficiently assimilated into the student's language and style.
Academic Integrity
The link to the WIU Student Academic Integrity policy is: http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php
.
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Teacher and Professional Education Program vision statement : Our graduates will be empowered educational professionals deeply committed to continuous learning and the empowerment of all learners.
Department of Educational Leadership vision statement: To be one of the premiere educational leadership programs in the nation.
Teacher and Professional Education Program mission statement: The WIU
Teacher and Professional Education Program empowers candidates to become educational practitioners who engage in informed action that is grounded in knowledge and reflection; who are deeply committed to the highest standards of professional practice; who are able to adapt to emerging social, economic, and cultural landscapes; who are skilled in the use of technological tools that promote teaching and learning; and who are committed to empowering all learners.
Department of Educational Leadership mission statement :
We will:
Recruit a capable, diverse student body.
Focus on continuous improvement of our programs.
Create a more meaningful clinical internship.
Establish a series of knowledge and application assessments.
Cultivate effective internal and external relationships.
EDL Mission: To prepare transformational leaders who cultivate exemplary learning organizations.
EDL Vision: To be a premiere Ed Leadership program in the country.
We will accomplish our vision through: recruiting a capable, diverse student body; focusing on continuous improvement of our programs; creating meaningful clinical internship experiences; and continuing to cultivate internal and external relationships.
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In addition to contributing to class discussions both during class time and online, you will need to be prepared to share a current event related to school leadership during each weekend session (one per weekend). Use the “question guide” in Appendix B to guide your class discussion.
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Article or Current Event Analysis
1) What is the main purpose of this article?
2) What concept/s or information would the reader need to know in order to fully understand this article?
List any terms or concepts in the article that you do not understand?
3) What are the key questions or issues the author is addressing in this article?
4) What is the main point of view presented by the author of this article? OR What are the main assumption (s) underlying the author’s thinking?
5) If readers take the article seriously, what conclusions might they draw from the article?
6) What are 1-2 key points that you want to remember from this article?
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Guidelines for grading written assignments will follow APA format and the rubric printed below.
W
A
F
Student/Group Name(s)
Course
Date
Assignment
Content/Development 50%
Subject Matter:

Key elements of assignments covered

Content is comprehensive/accurate/persuasive

Displays an understanding of relevant theory

Major points supported by specific details/examples

Research is adequate/timely

Writer has gone beyond textbook for resources
Higher-Order Thinking:

Writer compares/contrasts/integrates theory/subject matter with work environment/experience

At an appropriate level, the writer analyzes and synthesizes theory/practice to develop new ideas and ways of conceptualizing and performing

The introduction provides a sufficient background on the
Organization 20% topic and previews major points

Central theme/purpose is immediately clear

Structure is clear, logical, and easy to follow

Subsequent sections develop/support the central theme

Conclusion/recommendations follow logically from the body of the paper
Style/Mechanics 30%
Format--10%

Citations/reference page follow guidelines

Properly cites ideas/info from other sources

Paper is laid out effectively--uses, heading and other
 reader-friendly tools
Paper is neat/shows attention to detail
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling--10%

Rules of grammar, usage, punctuation are followed

Spelling is correct
Readability/Style--10%

Sentences are complete, clear, and concise

Sentences are well-constructed with consistently strong, varied structure

Transitions between sentences/paragraphs/sections help maintain the flow of thought

Words used are precise and unambiguous

The tone is appropriate to the audience, content, and assignment
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Guidelines for grading oral presentation assignments will follow the rubric printed below.
Oral Presentation Feedback
Student/Group Name(s) Date
Course Assignment
Content (30%)
-Presentation content clearly follows the written paper upon which it is based (if applicable)
-Topic is relevant and addresses assignment specifications
-Content presented is comprehensive, accurate, and believable
-Key points are noted
-Topic is researched adequately
Organization/Structure (20%)
-Presentation is well-organized, clear, and effectively structured
-If this is a group presentation, it is integrated rather than being a disjointed series of individual presentations
-There is an introduction to gain the audience’s attention and explain the purpose of the presentation
-Dress and grooming are appropriate to the setting
Style/Presentation/Appearance (15%)
-Non-verbal cues/gestures are appropriate to presentation and flow of ideas
-Content knowledge/confidence are evident
-Time was used well/not rushed
-Visual aids are used where appropriate
Use of Visual Aids (15%)
Visual aids are appropriately professional given the presentation’s context
-They are easy to see/read
-Media are used correctly--i.e., overheads, videos, computer generated slides, charts, etc.
-Visual aids contribute to the overall effectiveness of the presentation
Audience Participation (10%)
-The presenter(s) involved the audience and solicited feedback
-Questions from the audience are effectively addressed and answered correctly
Adherence to Time Limit (10%)
-The presenter(s) stayed within the allotted time limit (Failure to do so may result in a deduction of points)
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