COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Prefix/Number: EDA 6503
Course Title: The Principalship
Course Credit Hours: 3
Lead Instructor Name and Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Amos
Location: Bldg 85/ 170
Phone Number: 850-474-3289 (office); 702-767-7937 (Cell)
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00am-3:00pm
Make appointments by phone or email.
Email: camos1@uwf.edu
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: None
Course Description: This course focuses on problems, practices and theories pertinent to the success of
building level administrators in elementary, middle and high schools. This course includes planning,
staffing, implementing and evaluation techniques necessary to administer an effective school program.
Practicum experiences designed to provide a clinical setting for the demonstration of theory applied to
practice and will be an integral part of the course.
Purpose of the Course: The Empowered Professional and Making a Difference is the theme of the
Professional Education Unit’s conceptual framework. This theme focuses learning experiences on
activities that permit the candidate to examine what he/she does and to take an active role in the
instructional process. The subject matter, class activities, and skill development of this course were
selected to assist your personal growth in one or more of the following Empowered Professional Making
a Difference characteristics: a) critical thinker, b) lifelong learner, c) /counselor/mentor, d) decision
maker, e) problem solver, and f) ethical/moral professional.
The State of Florida has responded to national and state initiatives in education reform and accountability
by creating legislative policies relative to the preparation of educators. Florida’s Uniform Core Curricula
outline the knowledge, skills and dispositions that candidates require to be successful in Florida’s
educational system.
To monitor your progress in this teacher preparation program, Key Assignments and Critical Tasks are
required. Key Assignments and Critical Tasks are specific learning activities that directly relate to the
course and program learning outcomes. A passing grade (70% or higher) is required on each of the
student learning outcomes identified on the assignment in order to receive a grade for the course and
advance in the teacher education program.
Effective building level administrators accomplish their tasks by working with and through other people.
This view of leadership requires that those who aspire to become administrators develop an array of skills
as a prerequisite to assuming a leadership position and maintain a commitment to continual skill
development throughout their careers. Administrators for today and the future must embrace a
collaborative work ethic; make public and perform consistently with a personal code of ethics and values;
establish relationships with various stakeholders; implement and monitor productive practices and
procedures. The common goal of these skills and dispositions is a maximally effective school for learning
and teaching. This course provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate acquisition of skills and
understandings developed throughout their program of study, as well as exemplify a disposition for
lifelong learning and leadership.
Florida Principal Leadership Standards
http://www.fldoe.org/committees/pdf/6x6fplscw.pdf
Florida Education Leadership Examination (FELE)
If you plan on taking the test prior to December 2013 go to:
http://www.fldoe.org/asp/fele/pdf/3rd-Ed-FELE-C&S.pdf
If you plan on taking the test after December 2013 go to:
http://www.fldoe.org/asp/fele/pdf/4thEdFELECompsSkills.pdf
SBE Rule 6B-5.0012
Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards
http://www.npbea.org/ELCC/ELCCStandards%20_5-02.pdf
Program Learning Outcomes:
Content:
1.1- Monitor the success of all students in the learning environment, align the curriculum, instruction, and
assessment processes to promote effective student performance, and use a variety of benchmarks, learning
expectations, and feedback measures to ensure accountability for all participants, engaged in the
educational process.
1.2- Recruit, select, evaluate, nurture and retain effective personnel, develop mentor and partnership
programs and design and implement for all staff comprehensive professional growth plans which include
the Florida Educational Accomplished Practices, researched-based instructional technology, and
culturally relevant differentiated instructional practices to promote student achievement.
1.3- Apply an appropriate leadership style in addressing issues and concerns within various levels of the
organizational structure to promote student learning.
1.4- Provide efficient administration through the use of technology, allocation of resources and
continuous improvement to close learning performance gaps among student subgroups within the school.
Critical Thinking:
2.1- Plan effectively, use critical thinking and problem-solving techniques, and collect and analyze data
for continuous school improvement through the integration of appropriate technology.
2.2- Uses critical thinking and problem solving techniques to define problems and identify solutions
2.3- Effective school leaders employ and monitor a decision-making process that is based on vision,
mission and improvement priorities using facts and data.
Communication:
3.1- Communicates student expectations and performance information to students, parents, and
community as well as describe a personal vision for their school and the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions to develop, articulate and implement a shared vision that is supported by the larger
organization and the school community.
3.2- Effective school leaders practice two-way communications and use appropriate oral, written, and
electronic communication and collaboration skills to accomplish school and system goals by building and
maintaining relationships with students, faculty, parents, and community.
Project Management:
4.1- Structure and monitor a school learning environment that improves learning for all of Florida’s
diverse student population.
4.2- Plan and implement the integration of technological and electronic tools in teaching focused on
student engagement and learning.
4.3- Effective school leaders actively cultivate, support, and develop other leaders within the
organization.
4.4- Effective school leaders manage the organization, operations, and facilities in ways that maximize
the use of resources to promote a safe, efficient, legal, and effective learning environment.
Values/Integrity:
5.1- Adhere to the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession.
5.2- Effective school leaders demonstrate personal and professional behaviors consistent with quality
practices in education and as a community leader.
Diversity Skills:
6.1- Engages faculty and staff in efforts to close learning performance gaps among student subgroups
within the school.
6.2- Employs a faculty with the instructional proficiencies needed for the school population served.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. The prospective principal will explore, reflect, review and formalize a grounded personal code of
ethics.
2. The prospective principal will demonstrate understanding of the process for development of a personal,
school and district vision statement and the importance of a shared, articulated vision in effective schools.
3. The prospective principal will demonstrate an understanding of the complex nature of the roles and
responsibilities of principals in an ever-changing society
4. The prospective principal will have knowledge of and demonstrate managerial skills necessary to be a
successful principal.
5. The prospective principal will have the knowledge and understanding of the various critical issues
facing K-12 schools.
Course Alignments by Assessments, Outcomes, and Standards:
Project
Name/
Conceptual
Framework
Program
SLOs
Course
SLOs
NCATE
ELCC
Florida Principal
Leadership Standards
FELE
Ethical
Professional,
Critical Thinker,
Mentor,
Problem Solver,
Decision Maker
1.1, 1.2,
1.3, 1.4,
2.1, 2.2,
2.3, 3.1, 3.2
1, 3, 4
1e, 1g
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7
1a, 1b, 2c, 3c, 3e, 3a, 4a, 4b,
4d, 4e, 4f, 6a, 2a, 2d, 3b, 6a,
6b, 6c, 6e
1.1.1, 1.1.2,
1.1.3, 1.3.1,
1.3.2, 1.3.3,
1.3.4, 2.1.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.3,
2.2.4, 3.1.1,
3.1.2, 3.1.3
Ethical
Professional,
Critical Thinker,
Mentor,
Problem Solver
2.1, 4.1,
4.2, 5.1,
5.2, 6.1, 6.2
1, 2, 4
1e
2.1, 2.2,
2.3, 2.4,
3.1, 3.2,
3.3, 4.1,
4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.2,
5.3,
1b, 2b, 3d, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e,
5f, 3b, 6e
1.1.1, 1.1.2,
1.1.3, 1.3.1,
1.3.2, 1.3.3,
1.3.4, 2.1.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.3,
2.2.4, 3.1.1,
3.1.2, 3.1.3
Assessment
Tool
Key
Assignment:
Field
Experience/
Principal
Project
Practicum A
Key
Assignment:
Leadership
Project
Practicum B
Key
Assignment:
Content,
1.1, 1.2,
1.3, 1.4
5
1e
3.1, 3.2,
3.3
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3a,
3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d,
4e, 4f, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e. 5f,
6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 7a, 7b, 7c,
7d, 7e, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9a, 9b,
9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b,
10c, 10d, 10e, 10f
1.1.1, 1.1.2,
1.1.3, 1.1.4,
1.2.1, 1.2.2,
1.2.3, 1.2.4,
1.3.1, 1.3.2,
1.3.3, 1.3.4,
1.4.1, 1.4.2,
1.4.3, 1.4.4,
1.4.5, 2.1.1,
2.1.2, 2.2.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.3,
2.2.4, 2.2.5,
2.2.6, 2.3.1,
2.3.2, 2.3.3,
2.3.4, 2.4.1,
2.4.2, 2.4.3,
2.4.4, 3.1.1,
3.1.2, 3.1.3,
3.1.3, 3.1.4,
3.2.1, 3.2.2,
3.2.3, 3.2.4,
3.3.1, 3.3.2,
3.3.3, 3.3.4,
3.4.1, 3.4.2,
3.4.3, 3.5.1,
3.5.2, 3.5.3
Critical Thinking,
Leadership
Portfolio
Communication,
Project
Management,
2.1, 2.2,
2.3, 3.1,
3.2, 4.1,
4.2, 4.3,
4.4, 5.1,
5.2, 6.1, 6.2
Values/Integrity,
Diversity Skills
Articles
Content
1.3
3, 4
1e
2.3, 3.1
2a
1.2.1
Quizzes
Critical Thinker
2.1
3
1e
5.1, 5.2,
5.3
1b, 3b, 6e
1.1.2, 1.3.2,
3.2.1
Discussion
Threads
Critical Thinker
2.2
3, 4
1e
2.3, 3.2
6b
3.1.4
Required Textbooks
1. The Servant by John C Hunter, 2012, ISBN- 978-0-7615-1369-8
2. Influencer by Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, & Switzler, 2008, ISBN: 978-0-07-148499-2
3. TK20 Subscription available directly at http://uwf.tk20.com or through the UWF campus bookstore –
student access kits (ISBNO-9774408-1-8)
4. Selected Readings found in Resources
Course Requirements and Assignments:
Drop Box Assignments and
Discussions
Drop Box Assignments
Info Sheet
Article: On Becoming a
Leader
In-Box Activity 1 Quiz
Article: Disney
Servant Summary
In-Box Activity 2 Quiz
In-Box Activity 3 Quiz
Article: Hammer Principle
In-Box Activity Final
Influencer Summary
Portfolio Presentation
Portfolio-TK20
Practicum A-TK20
Practicum B-TK20
Discussions
Elluminate Sessions
Total
Week Due
Points
1
2
50
75
3
6
6
6
10
12
14
15
12-14
15
16
16
50
75
150
50
100
75
250
200
100
250
300
300
Every Week
See Elluminate Schedule
320
100
2445
KEY ASSIGNMENTS and CRITICAL TASKS-Assignments designated for TK20 must be submitted to
that system in order to receive credit for the assignment. Students must receive a passing grade on the
Key Assessment TK20 Principal Project and the Critical Task Code of Ethics in order to meet the DOE
and program standards and receive a passing grade in the course.
Assignments will be associated with each week’s instruction and the due dates will be included in the
online content.
FIELD EXPERIENCE
Students will complete a field experience with the mentor principal and accumulate 100 hours. Please
have your mentor principal or building administrator complete the verification of hours form once you
have completed the assignment. Please see below for the explanation of the Key Assignment that
accompanies the field experience.
Practicum Experience: Students will spend 100 hours in a planned field experience, consisting of two 50
hour placements with a principal or assistant principal of their choice. One of the placements may be at
your home school but the other must be at a different location and/or grade level unless the student is in
an administrative role, which would allow both practicums to be performed at the same site with
instructor approval.
Practicum A
300 points
The student will, in collaboration with the instructor and the school principal: Identify a major school
project, Serve as the leader of the project; Work with appropriate stakeholder group, Gather appropriate
data as needed; Analyze the data if appropriate; Examples of appropriate activities might include:
tion of a summer school
-wide problem.
Practicum B
300 points
The student will, in collaboration with the instructor and the school principal, participate in a variety of
administrative activities, which might include:













Handling bus referrals
Participating in discipline referrals
Attend a child study meeting
Attend a school board meeting
Developing schedules
Preparing budgets
Attend a PTA meeting
Attend an expulsion hearing
Observe teacher evaluation process
Classroom walkthrough with the principal
Sit in on a parent conference with the principal
Talk with a vendor
Attend and help supervise an after school event
A log/diary will be maintained for the field experience to include but not be limited to the following
information: Location of field experience, Name and background of supervising
description of activities, benefits gained, and reflection of successes and failures
Key Assignment: Portfolio
250 points
The students will create an electronic portfolio of the various artifacts listed on the E-Learning website.
The collection of artifacts will be placed in a PowerPoint presentation and uploaded to the drop box
assigned and TK20.
Grading/Evaluation System:
Points
2445-2320
2319-2200
2199-2127
2126-2029
2028-1956
1955-1883
1882-1809
1808-1711
1710-1589
Less than 1588
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
About this Course: This course is delivered completely online. You must have consistent access to the
Internet. Learning at a distance may be a very different environment for many of you. You will generally
set your own schedules, participate in class activities at your convenience, and work at your own pace
however, you will be asked to participate in Elluminate sessions (live, on-line class meetings) during the
semester. The schedule of Elluminate Sessions is posted on E-Learning. You may spend some additional
time online during the first few weeks while you become acclimated to the online class format and you
may feel overwhelmed. You should also be prepared to spend approximately 10 – 12 hours per week
online completing lessons, activities, and participating in class discussions. Finally, you may want to
incorporate these tips to help you get started: Set yourself a schedule -- check the course web site early in
the class week to see what tasks you'll need to work on for the week. Become very familiar with the site
and how to use it. It is a tool to help you learn! Team up with your classmates to discuss class
assignments and questions you might have. Check the “Classlist” located in Desire2Learn for biography
info and email addresses. Ask questions when you need answers. If you have problems, contact your
instructor ASAP! I will help you come up with a solution!
References
The Servant by John C Hunter
The Principal: Creative Leadership for Excellence in Schools by Ubben, Hughes, & Norris, 2007, 6th
Edition.
Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen R. Covey, 1992.
The Four Dimensions of Principal Leadership by Reginald Leon Green, 2010.
What Great Principals Do Differently by Todd Whitaker, 2003.
Special Technology Utilized by Students: This course is totally online. All instructional content and
interaction takes place over the WWW. In addition to baseline word processing skills and
sending/receiving email with attachments, students will be expected to search the internet and upload /
download files. In addition, students may need one or more of the following plug-ins:
Adobe Acrobat Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
PowerPoint Viewer: http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D1649C22-B51F-491093FC-4CF2832D3342&displaylang=en
Windows Media Player: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/
Quicktime Player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Real Player:
http://forms.real.com/netzip/getrde601.html?h=207.188.7.150&f=windows/RealOnePlayerV2GOLD.exe
&p=RealOne+Player&oem=dl&tagtype=ie&type=dl
Macromedia Flash Player:
http://macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash
Each UWF Student is expected to:
Activate a UWF ArgoNet email account
Access email two to three times weekly
Have basic word processing knowledge
Purchase and activate a TK20 account
Plagiarism Policy: (Word Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)Student Handbook: (PDF
Format)Statement of the University Policy on Academic Conduct: The Student Code of Conduct sets
forth the rules, regulations, and expected behavior of students enrolled at the University of West
Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations, or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of
violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the student’s responsibility to read the Student Code of
Conduct and conduct themselves accordingly. You may access the current Student Code of Conduct at
http://www.uwf.edu/judicialaffairs.
Expectations for Academic Conduct/Plagiarism Policy: Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Format) | (PDF
Format) (RTF Format)
Assistance: Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other course-related
accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), sdrc@uwf.edu,
850.474.2387. SDRC will send an email to the instructor that specifies any recommended
accommodations.
UWF TurnItIn notice: UWF maintains a university license agreement for an online text matching service
called TurnItIn. At my discretion I will use the TurnItIn service to determine the originality of student
papers. If I submit your paper to TurnItIn, it will be stored in a TurnItIn database for as long as the
service remains in existence. If you object to this storage of your paper:
You must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class.
I will utilize other services and techniques to evaluate your work for evidence of appropriate authorship
practices.
Syllabus Notice of Change: Although this syllabus is intended for multiple audiences and incorporates
the minimum course criteria, the content of this syllabus may change based on individual instructor’s
specifications. Any modifications to this syllabus will be announced during the first week of the
semester.