Principles of Instructional Leadership

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to provide aspiring leaders with learning opportunities and activities authentic to school leaders and leadership roles in educational organizations. While the course is suited to meet the needs of educators preparing for principal positions in K-12 schools, it also serves to meet the needs of aspiring leaders in specific content areas, including special education leaders and curriculum leaders often employed across K-12 as teacher leaders or administrators. The course focuses on development of leadership skills and dispositions that inform highly effective practices of instructional leaders in education. Throughout the course, students explore and investigate social and institutional settings for instructional leadership, including supervision of instructional staff and the functions, activities, and practices of an instructional leader. Students will continually work to develop and refine leadership dispositions, specifically those that support instructional improvement and high levels of learning for all students. Throughout the course, students are provided with opportunities to apply activities and learning to their specific interests, at all levels of instruction and content within schools and educational organizations. Students are expected to have teaching and/or school administrator experience, 18 credits in education (at least five of which are methods of teaching), and access to a school setting for course activities and projects.