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Pittsburg State University
School of Education
Department of Special Services and Leadership Studies
Course:
Credit Hours:
Semester:
Office Hours:
SSLS 894 Practicum in Educational Leadership
6 credit hours
(Field Experience, 3 credit hours; Project Experience, 3 credit hours)
Fall 2008/Spring2009
Field Experience Instructor
Brenda Roberts, EdD
301 Hughes Hall, PSU
(620) 235-4498
(620) 235-4520 fax
broberts@pittstate.edu
Project Experience Instructor
Dick Lipka, EdD
Hughes Hall, PSU
(620) 235-4487
(620) 235-4520 fax
rplipka@pittstate.edu
By appointment
By appointment
Course Description
SSLS 894 Practicum in Educational Leadership 6 hours. The Field Experience component
of the practicum will provide individual laboratory and fieldwork in various organizational
settings suitable for the development of leadership skills through mentoring relationships.
The Project Experience component will provide action research application associated with
the evaluation of educational programs. The student takes the lead in initiating and following
through on all activities.
Purposes of the Practicum Field Experience
The purpose of the practicum field experience is to place the student in a setting where s/he
can both observe and participate in the varied tasks and duties of a building level
administrator. Students are required to spend a minimum of 150 clock hours of field
experience during the practicum experience. In addition, various course projects are assigned
which cause the candidate to be active and involved, and not merely an observer of school
leadership activities.
Purposes of the Practicum Project Experience
The Project Component of the Practicum will consist of an action research project or
projects focusing on one of the following tasks:
1) Evaluating the effectiveness of an educational intervention within an
organization, school, department, or team (not just in one classroom).
2) Taking stock of the current situation within an organization or school in light of
locally-specified judgment criteria, accreditation judgment criteria, or "best
practices" judgment criteria.
3) Solving a major problem within an organization, school, department, or team
(not just in one classroom).
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Course Objectives
During the SSLS 894 Practicum in Educational Leadership course, students will:
1. Be exposed to a comprehensive view of education in a field-based setting.
2. Experience actual administrative tasks and situations under the tutelage of a
veteran quality educational leader(s).
3. Gain actual administrative experience such as working with student services and
co-curricular programs.
4. Begin to establish their own educational leadership philosophy through
observation and practice.
5. Deepen their knowledge base through a daily practice of professional reading.
6. Assist in developing staff development activities for themselves and for other
educators.
7. Deepen their understanding of the "big picture" of educational leadership and
how systems interact.
8. Learn how to utilize the practice of self-reflection in order to continually
improve.
9. Gain experience at working with the varying sets of individuals that comprise the
major stakeholders of the educational community.
Instructional Resources
Required texts: NA
Students may be required to read short articles provided by the instructor or their mentor
during the course as well as search and utilize on-line resources via the World Wide Web.
Academic Honesty
Please refer to the catalog for the university policy on academic dishonesty. You are expected
to do and submit your work and not that of others. Assignments completed to fulfill
requirements in other classes may not be resubmitted to fulfill requirements in this class.
Assignments
All documentation must be typed or computer generated. Please include the following
identifying information at the top of each paper: Name, course name, and date.
Attendance
Due to the nature of this field-based course, attendance is somewhat varied from a traditional
course. This course entails periodic group meetings of students completing their practicum
experiences and frequent contact with a university-based supervisor. Therefore, it is
imperative that the course meetings, whenever scheduled, be attended.
Student Responsibilities
Students are expected to do graduate level work and to conduct themselves in a
professional manner at all times during course activities.
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The Role of the Practicum Student
The graduate student completing the practicum, as a part of his/her Master of Science
degree in Educational Leadership must:
• Become acquainted with aspects of school administration.
• Complete all duties and responsibilities assigned by the practicum coordinator and
mentor.
• Keep and submit a reflective journal of administrative activities related to the practicum
experience. Complete all assigned readings and attend on campus sessions with the
practicum coordinator as specified.
• Attend local Board of Education, administrative cabinet and other agreed upon
professional meetings.
• Become familiar with many forms of communication techniques.
• Learn to adequately utilize technology to support the roles and responsibilities of
educational leaders.
The Role of the Mentor Support Facilitator
The university relies on area practitioners to assist in the development of the Educational
Leadership student through the practicum experience. The certified administrator who works
closely with the practicum student will:
• Guides and directs the student's daily activities.
• Act as a mentor by sharing his/her skills and knowledge while directing the activities of
the practicum student.
• Relay the importance of the practicum experience to the local Board of Education, staff,
and other personnel as necessary.
• Provide an office area for the student to work on assigned projects.
• Seek out opportunities to allow the student to experience "hands-on" leadership tasks
that are appropriate.
• Conduct regularly: scheduled review sessions to assess the progress and future desired
outcomes of the practicum.
• Conduct a summative evaluation of the practicum experience, the student's progress and
future potential.
The Role of the Practicum Coordinator
The university professor who supervises and evaluates the field experience, working with the
mentor and the practicum student will:
• Approve the practicum site and the administrative mentor.
• Disseminate all necessary components of the field experience to the student and mentor.
• Keep in consistent contact with the student and the mentor throughout the duration of
the practicum.
• Make an on-site visits as needed in order to support and enhance the student's practicum
experience.
• Critique all written field experience correspondence from the student.
• Conduct an end-of-semester "debriefing" with the student and administrative mentor in
order to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the process.
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Teaching Strategies
The field experience component will entail periodic group meetings with other practicum
students. During these group meetings, the faculty member will cover issues and content that
pertains to all field experiences. Students will share with one another, giving students a
broader view of problems than leaders typically handle at various levels within the PK-12
educational organization.
The project experience component will entail periodic group meeting with other practicum
students. During this group meeting, the faculty member will cover issues and content that
pertains to all student projects. Students will share with one another their progress on their
project, giving students a broader view of projects/problems that leaders typically handle at
various levels within the PK-12 educational organization.
EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING
The Practicum in Educational Leadership is a pass/fail class thus all students who
successfully complete the program will be expected to fully participate and to do quality
work.
It is possible, and quite likely, that all practicum hours will not be completed during a single
university semester. In that event, a grade of "I" will be awarded and you will need to
complete the required number of hours in the following semester.
Field Experience Component
[The following activities and experiences are minimal expectations.]
1.
Practicum Log: The student is required to log his/her time to document that the required
number of hours for the practicum is completed. The log is to be submitted at least three
times during the semester (150 clock hours are required for completion of the
practicum). Submission #1 will be upon the completion of 50 hours; submission #2 will
be upon the completion of 100 hours; submission #3 will be upon the completion of 150
hours.
2.
Reflective Journal: Students are required to conduct reflective practice during the
practicum. This journal will be submitted for review along with the log. The following
prompts should be addressed for each log entry:

What is the name (or description) of the activity that this section of the journal
addresses?

Briefly describe this activity.

What leadership characteristics did you observe by the administrator(s) participating?

What strengths and/or weaknesses did you observe?
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
How might you have acted if you had been the administrator in this situation?
3.
Self-Assessment: Each student will prepare and submit a 2-page summary and analysis
of the practicum experience. Identify areas of the greatest growth during practicum;
identify areas where growth is needed most in the future; and outline plans for achieving
professional goals (align with the district goals and the student's Individual Development
Plan IDP).
4.
Administrative Cabinet Experience: Each student is expected to attend at least two local
administrative cabinet meetings. The agendas, meeting styles used, and decision-making
processes used at the meeting will be documented and critiqued. At the second meeting
the student is expected to present at least one topic and then lead the administrative
cabinet discussion.
5.
Attendance at Professional Conference: The student should attend a regional, state, or
national conference of a professional group related to educational leadership. A
written summary of the experience should be submitted.
6.
Situational Experiences: Situational experiences will be required at multiple levels for
PK-12 certification (reference to three levels will include - Elementary, Middle School,
High School). Each student must experience each of the following educational
leadership activities:
• A school site council (SSC) meeting (at two levels)
• A Board of Education meeting (multiple times)
• A principal/student/parent conference (multiple levels & situations - for different
reasons, i.e., discipline, academic concerns; observe one & conduct one)
• A co-curricular activity – athletic & co-curricular (observe one event; do a
second event)
• A classified employee meeting
• A strategic planning session
• A school counseling session (with the appropriate permissions granted)
• A budget planning session (department, building, & district)
• A curriculum development meeting (one school level & one district level)
• A staff development planning (PDC) meeting (one school level & one district
level)
• An IEP meeting (at two levels)
• Attend various meetings pertaining to the "hiring process"
Acceptable (non-required) Experiences:
• Grant writing
• School accreditation meetings
• Shadowing
• Personnel evaluation process meetings (with appropriate permissions granted)
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7.
Guidelines for Logging Practicum Hours: It is important that the following
guidelines are followed in logging practicum hours.
• Do not log hours for activities and tasks you would do within your normal job;
• Logging hours related to research is acceptable;
• You should log the time spent meeting with your mentor and with the practicum
coordinator.
Project Experience Component
The student, with permission of the faculty member, may elect to do ONE year-long
project or TWO semester-long projects.
Elements of the Action Research Project;
A.
The Project proposal will include:
1) the question(s) the student will answer by doing the project.
2) a plan for gathering and analyzing data to answer the question(s).
3) a description of the products/outcomes the student will produce as a result of
the project (must include a written report and reflection).
4) a plan on how the student will share the information with relevant
audiences.
5) a time line for completing the project.
6) a discussion of the ISLLC standard(s) and performances that the student
will demonstrate through the project.
B. The Project will last across 1, 2 or 3 semesters. With permission of the faculty
member, may elect to do ONE year-long project or TWO semester-long projects.
C. The Project will entail gathering and analyzing data.
D. The Project will address an issue that affects an entire organization, school,
department, or team.
E. The Project will address an issue typically faced by leaders within the student's
profession.
F. The Project will include some component dealing with a special education issue
OR an issue at a level other than their current position. If the student elects to do
ONE year-long project, the project must include but not necessarily focus on a
special education issue or an aspect at a level other than their current position.
Examples of APPROPRIATE projects:
1. Determine the effectiveness of a school's use of planners.
2. Determine the effectiveness of a school's use of Reading Recovery.
3. Take stock of the school in light of North Central, MSIP, or QPA standards.
4. Take stock of the middle school in light of the standards put forth by the
National Middle School Association.
5. Address the bullying problem within a school.
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6. Address the low science achievement among students eligible for free/reduced
lunch.
Examples of INAPPROPRIATE projects:
1. Determine if using journals in one teacher's classroom improves student
writing.
2. Track the achievement of students in one teacher's classroom.
3. Address the low reading achievement of students in one teacher's classroom.
4. Align the reading curriculum with state standards.
5. Design a brochure explaining one of the organization's unique programs.
6. Plan and implement a staff development program for professionals within the
organization.
Project Evaluation
Using a mastery-learning format, congruence with the six-part project proposal will
serve as the evaluation component for the project.