EDLD 6352 Physical Environment of Schools – Chadwick 1
ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM OF STUDY
Unit of Education
Vision
Students are “Professionals of the 21st Century” who will internalize, initiate, and sustain a
professional commitment to impact learners in diverse and evolving learning communities.
Unit of Education Conceptual Framework
The Conceptual Framework for the School of Education is based on the foundational skills of:
diversity, leadership, oral and written communication, technology, purposeful reflection parents
and community.
The Center for Leadership and Learning Vision and Mission Statements
Vision
The vision of the Center for Leadership and Learning is to
prepare leaders and to build leadership capacity for a future, which constantly redefines itself.
Mission
The Center for Leadership and Learning mission
prepares and develops school leadership teams to work collaboratively for learner success.
The CLL Mission will be accomplished through professional learning communities,
advanced degrees and twenty-first century partnerships.
Revised 2009-2010
Course Number:
Course Title:
Instructor:
EDLD 6352
Physical Environment of Schools
Catalog Description:
This is a study of the effects of the physical environment of the school upon instruction
and learning. The course will include the development of physical plants conducive to and
effective for learning.
Required Texts:
Schonfeld, David J., et. al. (2002). How to Prepare for and Respond to a Crisis, Second
Edition. ASCD, Alexandria, VA.
Rationale for the course – Enduring Understandings:
An instructional leader understands the importance of engaging all shareholders in a
process that brings understanding to how a school’s physical environment impacts instruction
and student achievement.
Essential Questions:
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What points should be considered when assessing the physical environment of a school
for successful teaching and learning?
How has the evolution of educational facilities impacted the teaching and learning
processes?
How does a safe school promote the social and emotional well-being of students?
Why is carrying out a facilities assessment important?
What is a crisis plan and how do you implement one? What are the enduring
understandings required to undertake such a plan?
Is aligning architecture and education important?
How does the mission and vision of a school support facilities?
Why is designing a facility project with the participation of the school stakeholders and
shareholders necessary?
Standards:
ISLLC Standard One: An education leader promotes the success of every student by facilitating
the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is
shared and supported by all stakeholders.
ISLLC Standard Three: An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring
management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective
learning environment.
ISLLC Standard Six: An education leader promotes the success of all students by understanding,
responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
ELCC Standard One: A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the
success of every student by collaboratively facilitating the development, articulation,
implementation, and stewardship of a shared school vision of learning through the collection and
use of data to identify school goals, assess organizational effectiveness and implement school
plans to achieve school goals; promotion of continual and sustainable school improvement; and
evaluation of school progress and revisions of school plans supported by school-based
stakeholders.
ELCC Standard Two: A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the
success of every student by sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to
student learning through collaboration, trust, and personalized learning environment with high
expectations for students; creating and evaluating a comprehensive, rigorous, and coherent
curricular and instructional school program; developing and supervising the instructional and
leadership capacity of school staff; and promoting the most effective and appropriate
technologies to support teaching and learning within a school environment.
ELCC Standard Three: A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the
success of every student by ensuring the management of the school organization, operation, and
resources through monitoring and evaluating the school management and operational systems;
EDLD 6352 Physical Environment of Schools – Chadwick 3
efficiently using human, fiscal, and technological resources in a school environment; promoting
and protecting the welfare and safety of school students and staff; developing school capacity for
distributed leadership; and ensuring that teacher and organizational time is focused to support
high-quality instruction and student learning.
ELCC Standard Four: A building-level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the
success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community leaders, responding to
diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources on behalf of the
school by collecting and analyzing information pertinent to improvement of the school's
educational environment; promoting an understanding, appreciation, and use of the diverse
cultural, social, and intellectual resources within the school community; building and sustaining
positive school relationships with families and caregivers; and cultivating productive school
relationships with community partners.
ELCC Standard Six: A building level education leader applies knowledge that promotes the
success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political,
social, economic, legal and cultural context through advocating for school students, families, and
caregivers, acting to influence local, district, state and national decisions affecting student
learning in a school environment; and anticipating and assessing emerging trends and initiatives
in order to adapt school-based leadership strategies.
Goals and Objectives:
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The administrator should be aware of and understand the importance of the current
Arkansas Facility Standards from the building standpoint. (ELCC 3.1, 6.2)
The administrator remains current about the evolution of school facilities and their impact
on current and future instructional methods and student achievement (ELCC 2.2, 6.3)
The administrator understands that consistent and continual assessment of the physical
environment impacts both current and future planning (ELCC 1.2, 3.2)
The administrator understands how to lead a visioning process for the design of all school
facility projects in a manner that will include the school community and all stakeholders
(ISLLC 1. Functions A., B., C., D., & E.) (ELCC 1.1, 4.1)
The administrator remains current on how school facilities will impact the larger
political, social, economic, legal, and cultural values throughout the community (ELCC
6.3b) (ELCC 4.1, 4.2)
The administrator should be aware of and be able to discuss safety issues in the school as
they pertain to the social and emotional well-being of the students, faculty and staff
(ISLLC 3. Functions A., B., & C) (ELCC 3.3)
The administrator will prepare a building crisis plan designed to accommodate the needs
of the building specific student body, faculty, and staff (ISLLC 3. Function C.) (ELCC
3.3)
The administrator will build support for a facility project by preparing a memo to the
faculty and staff for the purpose of building support and ownership of the project. (1.1,
4.1)
EDLD 6352 Physical Environment of Schools – Chadwick 4
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The administrator will analyze the current facility issues facing schools and show she/he
has the knowledge, skills and dispositions to understand those issues and be able to
explain their impact on the community and instructional delivery (ELCC 2.1, 4.1)
The administrator will demonstrate an entry-level understanding of how collaboration
will bring all shareholders to an understanding about how current state facility mandates
affect the local schools (ELCC 4.1, 6.2)
The administrator will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to
engage community and school shareholders as collaborative team members in an overall
safe school campaign at the building level – see artifact descriptor (ELCC 3.3, 4.1)
Instruction Requirements:
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Individual reading of required text
Group discussions/reporting
Fieldtrip
Facility assessments
Guest speaker summaries and reflections
Assessments:
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Attendance – (W3)
Participation and Quizzes – (W2)
2 Article Reviews – (W2) – Can be two of the eight required for the artifact
Oral Presentation in class (W4)
Artifact – (W5)
(Extra Credit) – Download and copy sections of the State Facilities Manual that you find
useful as an educational leader.
Artifact Descriptor:
Scenerio:
As an educational leader you have been asked by your superintendent to assess your
school building for securing and maintaining a safe, healthy environment for all students and
staff. You will be asked to make a presentation to the class (the superintendent, board and other
interested community shareholders) with your findings and recommendations. You may use a
Powerpoint, brochure, or other method of presentation from 6—8 minutes. Your presentation
should show evidence that you as an educational leader understand how a school’s physical
environment impacts instruction and student achievement, as well as provides for the social and
emotional well-being of students. The artifact is required for the purpose of demonstrating the
administrator’s entry-level understanding of how a facility needs assessment is carried out, how a
safe school is designed, how a crisis plan is developed, and that you have the knowledge of the
components of a safe healthy school , as well as state and federal facility requirements. The
artifact should include but not be limited to demographics, how vision and mission support
school facilities, review of current crisis plan with recommendations for changes, results of
building assessment, playground equipment safety, handicapped accessibility requirements, bus
EDLD 6352 Physical Environment of Schools – Chadwick 5
safety including drop off and pick up points. You should show some evidence that you have
researched the social and emotional well-being of students ie. bullying and explain how this
component ties to physical environment of schools.
The artifact will be graded on the following expectations: Level 3; A complete
assessment of the physical environment of your school including a review of the district crisis
plan, review of related literature (minimum of 8 sources), explanation of a safe school design
(based on your building assessment), reference to social and emotional well-being of students
and a professional final artifact presentation in APA format with good grammatical sentences
and paragraphs with references to the ISLLC standards. Reflections on this experience should be
included as well as evidence of knowledge gained from guest presenters. Originality of content
will be required for a 3. Level 2; An assessment of the physical environment and crisis plan is
mentioned or alluded to, less than 8 sources in the review of literature, incomplete narration of
the safe school design, and overall product is sketchy, but not thorough and complete. Social
and emotion well-being was mentioned but not fully developed. Format had noticeable errors
and reflections as well as knowledge gained from presenters was not thorough. Level 1; No
assessment, little or no review of related literature, reflections and content were not acceptable
and a rudimentary final product was presented.
Policies/Procedures:
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You are responsible for reading, understanding and adhering to all rules, regulations, and
policies of the State of Arkansas and Arkansas Tech University that relate to student
conduct. In addition to those stated rules, regulations, and policies, you are responsible
for following and adhering to the requirements of the CLL.
Attendance is required. If a class session must be missed, prior notification must be given
to the instructor. All missed sessions must be made up by you and presented to the
instructor within the next two class sessions.
Should inclement weather occur, you will be notified when the missed sessions will be
made up.
All personal communication devices must be turned off or set to vibrate.
Any personal communication devices made to gain access to outside resources of any
type, must be turned off during any and all times when assessments are being conducted.
Classroom Norms will be set on the first day of class to further clarify these policies and
procedures and to set additional classroom rules for student behavior and participation.