Executive Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction – EDAS 743

Course Description

This course addresses the role of district-level leadership in the supervision of instruction as a superintendent or assistant superintendent. Research-based methods will be applied to the development of district-wide processes for the improvement of student achievement through systematic planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum, instruction and assessment. Attention is given to supervision, evaluations, and professional development of district-level personnel and building-level administrators.

Rationale

A primary responsibility of the school superintendent or assistant superintendent is the use of strategic planning to improve the scope and success of all institutional programs. This includes evaluation of instruction and the development of quality instructional personnel through divisional leaders. Superintendents must have specific leadership skills, dispositions, techniques, and processes to oversee the smooth operation of the school system as well as a knowledge base in program assessment, instructional strategies, motivational psychology, and learning styles to assess and develop quality instruction for student learning. This course focuses on a holistic approach to collegial supervision and administrative evaluation.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to 2 classmates’ threads. The candidate will complete the various discussion board assignments in collaboration with other course candidates. The topics and requirements for the assignments vary according to the applicable readings for the modules/weeks assigned. Any references used must be cited in current APA format. (CLO: A, C, D, E).

Reflective Journal Assignments (3)

For each entry, the candidate will reflect on the assigned module/week's Learn material and describe how he/she would translate theory into school district practice in response to the situation presented in the provided prompt. The writing requirements for the entries vary based on the prompts. (CLO: C, D, E).

Action Research Case Study Assignment

This assignment is required for all candidates. The Action Research Case Study is the course benchmark assignment for EDAS 743.

This assignment enables the candidate to role-play the task of an instructional supervisor by putting into practice the steps of action research in a field case study format. The assignment involves working with a volunteer teacher participant in a school setting. The candidate will complete the stages of this assignment in Module 2: Week 2 - Module 8: Week 8, submitting a proposal, a literature review, a project update, and a final project document which is to be submitted to LiveText.  

Proposal

After securing a volunteer teacher who is willing to work with the candidate on this project, the volunteer teacher is to identify a short-term initiative to develop and launch. The initiative can include improving a previously launched initiative that is in need of revision; it could be a new initiative to improve the classroom climate and thus impact student learning; or it can focus on developing the teacher’s instructional or classroom management skills to improve teaching effectiveness and thus impact student learning.

Using the Action Research Case Study: Proposal Template, the candidate will report to the course the following proposal information:

1. Volunteer’s name
2. Background information
3. Rationale for the project
4. Research question
5. State learning standards: at least one learning standard from the candidate’s state’s curriculum standards that aligns with the proposed project (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Literature Review

The purpose of the literature review is to connect the inquiry to what experts in the field have published.  The candidate must use at least five academic journal articles, books, or other research-based sources in crafting a four-page literature review. The candidate will provide a cohesive narrative that explains the topic of study and the results of previous research. (CLO: E, F).

Update

An update will be submitted to the course, providing a brief summary of the work completed to date. The Action Research Case Study: Update Template will be used to report a summary of the progress made. This assignment will include the following

1. Summary of Work in Progress
2. Completed Action Steps
3. Future Action Steps
4. Issues, Concerns, or Problems (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Final Document

The candidate will complete the stages of this assignment and submit completed reports for each component in a final project document in LiveText. CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G).

Policy Analysis Assignment

The candidate will review his/her school district policy manual to locate policies that indirectly or directly apply to diversity concerns in the school system. A copy of one policy from the school policy manual must be submitted and analyzed in a substantive assessment of at least 300 words. In the analysis, the candidate must articulate the value of the policy in helping leaders address cultural diversity issues as they seek to build a collaborative school district environment. References must be cited in current APA format. (CLO: D, E).

Quiz: Final

The exam will cover the Learn material for all modules: weeks. The exam will be open-book/open-notes and contains four essay questions. (CLO: C, D, E).