Advanced Educational Law – EDAS 747

CG • Section 8WK • 07/01/2018 to 12/31/2199 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

An in-depth study into educational law and how social and cultural changes are directing how our courts act and react. A new global mind-set present in our high courts has and will continue to re-direct how our courts view many judicial rulings and from those considerations a new set of legal precedents will emerge impacting how our educational systems are viewed by those courts.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

To study the laws governing education and religious conflicts of the Western world helps to understand the demands, restrictions, and provisions for what is called “separation of church and state.” It would benefit greatly to devote much time to this study because much of today’s growing societal unrest with education can, and logically so, be connected to the religious unrest throughout the nation and world.

It is imperative that school and institutional leaders have a firm grasp on past case precedent and how those decisions could be redirected because of social and cultural changes the courts have determined should be considered. Additionally, courts are using more European case precedents in determining how American laws should be applied and/or adjusted. The “global mind-set” has and will continue to impact the judicial system and how new cases will be reviewed and decisions made.

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 (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate will participate in 3 Discussions throughout this course. In each Discussion, the candidate will submit a thread of at least 350 words and at least 2 replies of at least 150 words each to his/her classmates' threads. (CLO: A, C, D, F)

Case Review Assignment

The candidate will review and reflect upon 3 different precedent-setting case scenarios. Each Case Review must be at least 2 pages, provide citations for relevant case facts, a reference page, and adhere to current APA formatting. (CLO: A, C, D, F)

Legal Entanglement Project Assignments (6)

Part 1 - Topic Selection and Ethical Analysis Assignment

The first step in selecting a topic is for the candidate to evaluate school strategies, policies, programs, and practices regarding their ethical and/or legal implications. The purpose of the analysis is to select a meaningful and relevant topic in a particular school. The topic is to be a legal and/or ethical issue that—left unaddressed—could escalate into a legal entanglement. (CLO: C, F).

Part 1 - Preliminary Communication and Advocacy Plan Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to present the existing or created policy (determined in the Topic Selection and Ethical Analysis Assignment) to select families/caregivers, colleagues, special/general education teacher(s), supervisors/administrators, and students (i.e., stakeholders) and gather their feedback on the issue. (CLO: A, C, E, F).

Part 2 - Professional Norms Knowledge Base Assignment

In this next section of the course project, the candidate will research current case law and professional literature connected to a selected policy and topic. The candidate will communicate the professional norms that are directly related to the selected legal entanglement issue. (CLO: B, C, D, G)

Part 2 - Personal Reflection and Communication of Professional Norms Assignment

The candidate will reflect on modeling and communicating professional norms discussed from the 3 sources previously addressed (i.e., MCEE, case law, and professional literature). (CLO: A, C, F).

Part 3 - Policies and Procedures Assignment

This part of the project includes 2 areas to address. The first will require using research from Part 2 to delve into root causes of the selected policy and issues and how a policy revision will address those root causes. The second part requires a formal policy recommendation based on the candidate's research and how these specific recommendations are expected to result in changes for the school and/or school community. The candidate will also address areas of communication strategies designed to provide information to stakeholders in the school community. (CLO: C, F)

Part 4 - Presentation Assignment

As a culminating work in this project, the candidate will create a professional slide presentation for the recommended policy. This is intended to be a formal presentation in which the candidate will demonstrate advocacy as a leader in addressing a critical area for the school and school community. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

SCRIP Dispositions Assignment

Following the instructions listed in LiveText, the candidate will write a brief response on each of the School of Education SCRIP dispositions (social responsibility, commitment/work ethic, reflection, integrity, and professionalism). The candidate will submit the assignment via LiveText and Canvas. (CLO: A)