EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
Fall, 2010
EPPL 645:
The Superintendency Team
Syllabus
Steven R. Staples, Ed.D.
School of Education 3118
221-2342
srstap@wm.edu
Day Tuesdays
Time 4:30-7:00 P.M.
Place TBD
Course Description
EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team: This course provides the opportunity for students
to apply and synthesize functions and responsibilities of executive-level central office
personnel and the school superintendent within the context of dynamic educational
organizations.
Course Objectives
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Understand the social, cultural, and political forces shaping the evolution of
contemporary education programs and institutions.
Show knowledge of important reports on education and to compare premises and
conclusions for their policy implications.
Demonstrate an understanding of who decides and how decisions are affected by
multiple forces in a pluralistic democracy.
Understand alternative approaches (methodological and conceptual) to policyoriented inquiry.
Describe the basic functions of government and the roles of federal, state, and
local agencies in education policy.
Compare and contrast alternative conceptualizations of educational policy
making.
Explain the direct and indirect ways in which government action affects
the operation of schools and school systems. (And to show the intended
and unintended outcomes of policies.)
Describe and analyze networks of policy leaders and the roles their organizations
play in the transmission, interpretation, and evaluation of state-level policy
experiments.
Explain the limits on governmental power and the protections afforded
individuals in pursuit of their constitutional and statutory rights.
Analyze cases of policy making in a dynamic system and understand that
problems, solutions, and the system itself are loosely coupled in time and space.
Explain how symbols, language, information, and media relate to the distribution
of power and allocation of results in the political arena.
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EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
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Fall, 2010
Understand the political complexities of policy implementation.
General Course Requirements
Honor Code. All student work is governed by the Honor Code of the College. In short,
the Honor Code stipulates that students shall not lie, cheat, or steal. Plagiarism—the act
of representing someone else's ideas, work, or words as your own, either by identifying
them as your own or by failing to acknowledge the source—is a violation of the Honor
Code and of professional ethics. Acts of plagiarism will result in failure of the
assignment and/or the course, as well as referral to the Honor Council. In addition, all
student work created for this course should be original to the course.
APA Style. “APA style” refers to the publication guidelines of the American
Psychological Association (APA), which is the accepted style manual in the field of
education. (Please see the list of course texts at the end of this syllabus for additional
information.) APA format must be used for all citations and references in student work.
Your aim should be to create a professional appearance to your work, with recognizable
conventions that facilitate—rather than detract from—the communication of ideas
between you and your reader.
Participation. Students are expected to participate in the course in a manner consistent
with the characteristics of effective educational leaders. Participation in class has three
purposes: (1) Participation in class discussions, tours and activities is the central method
for constructing each student’s understanding and meaning of the course content; (2)
participation is essential to building and employing a collaborative, team-based approach
to the course; and (3) student participation is necessary for formative assessment of
learning and on-going planning for instruction. Therefore, participation is included in
students’ final grades.
E-mail Communication. Participation in the course outside of class meeting times
includes homework assignments, work on projects, reading, and collaboration with
classmates. Participation also includes monitoring e-mail communication from the
professor and/or classmates. Your William and Mary e-mail account is your official
address for the course. Please be sure to monitor it regularly.
Attendance. Since participation is a required component of the course, regular attendance
is necessary. If an absence or tardiness is necessary, please contact me as early in
advance as possible. Also, arrange with a classmate or with me, if necessary, to gather
missed materials and to review class activities. Absences, frequent tardies, or
unconstructive participation will reduce a student’s final grade.
Assigned Readings. The readings are integral to this course. The text/assigned readings
have been selected to provide sufficient background for class discussion and
presentations. Your reading will serve a critical role in developing your foundational
content knowledge and in creating a common context for all of us in the class.
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EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
Fall, 2010
Course Evaluation. The professional evaluation of academic programs is an essential
responsibility of educational leaders at all levels; therefore, you are expected to complete
the on-line course evaluation at the end of the course. You will receive e-mail
notification from The College of William and Mary when the site is available for you to
complete the evaluation. Your honest and constructive evaluation of the course and
instructor are important and appreciated. Your course evaluation is anonymous.
Meeting Days, Readings, and Assignments
Class #1
Course Overview; Research & Expectations
of the Superintendent and Leadership Team
Class #2
Considerations in Leading Organizations;
Organizational Frameworks
Class #3
Politics of School Governance &
Board Relations
Class #4
Simulation/Case Study #1
Class #5
Leadership for Instruction
Class #6
Resource & Financial Management
Class #7
Community Relations & Engagement
Class #8
Simulation/Case Study #2
Class #9
Field Interview & Observation Presentations
Class #10
Leadership for Human Relations &
Personnel Considerations
Class #11
Collaboration and Partnerships
Class #12
Leadership & Governance Challenges;
Unions
Class #13
Union Case Study Presentations
Class #14
Simulation/Case Study #3
Class #15
Final Project Presentation
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EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
Fall, 2010
Student Evaluation
Simulation/Case Study 1
15%
Simulation/Case Study 2
15%
Simulation/Case Study 3
15%
Union Case Study
15%
Field Interview & Observation Paper & Presentation
20%
Final Project
20%
_______________________________________________________________
Final Grade
100%
Grading Scale
The faculty of the School of Education uses the following grading scale, including plus
and minus designations, to evaluate student performance in graduate courses:
A
B
C
D
F
Performance considerably above the level expected for a student in a
given program.
Performance equal to the expectation for acceptable performance at the
student’s level of study.
Performance below expectation but of sufficient quality to justify degree
credit.
Performance unacceptable for graduate degree credit but sufficient to
warrant a “passing” grade for non-degree purposes.
Unacceptable level of performance for any purpose.
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EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
Fall, 2010
Assignments
Simulations/Case Studies (3)
Student Teams will respond to instructor-provided situations and prepare
responses for presentation & discussion in class. Responses must minimally include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identification of the core problem(s) or issue(s)
Application of course concepts to items in #1
Recommendation(s) for resolution of items in #1
Rationale/justification for recommendations
Union Case Study
Student Teams will respond to an instructor-provided union case study and
prepare responses for presentation & discussion in class. Responses must minimally
include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identification of the core problem(s) or issue(s)
Application of course concepts to items in #1
Recommendation(s) for resolution of items in #1
Rationale/justification for recommendations
Field Interview & Observation Paper & Presentation
Each student will conduct an interview & observation of a superintendent and/or
leadership team during a public meeting. The interview & observation should focus on
collecting data and behaviors as they relate to topics from class.
Each student will complete a written summary of their key findings from the
interview & observation. (Five (5) pages maximum). The paper must minimally include
1. A summary/description of the interview (including questions) and the
meeting observed (purpose/date/time/location). A printed agenda from
the meeting should be attached to the paper IF available
2. A summary description of the key findings from the interview &
observation
3. An analysis of these findings as they relate to items from class
Each student will prepare a presentation of their findings from the paper. Presentations
will be made in class and may utilize technology/enhancements as deemed appropriate by
the presenter. Presentations May Not exceed fifteen (15) minutes in length with a
Q & A period to follow (not included in the 15 minute time limit).
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EPPL 645 The Superintendency Team
Fall, 2010
Final Project Paper & Presentation
Each student will prepare a paper on a selected topic related to the Superintendent
or leadership team. The selected topic should explore recent research on a topic from
class discussion. Papers should not exceed ten (10) pages in length.
Each student will provide a class presentation of the significant aspects of their
research from the paper. Presentations may not exceed fifteen (15) minutes in length
with a Q and A period to follow (not included in the 15 minute limit)
Course Text
No textbook has been selected for this course.
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