This class will reinforce the principles of PK-12 curriculum and instruction as previously introduced in EDUC 6030. Emphasis on curriculum development and design, implementation and delivery (integration) and organizations. Candidates will examine their own personal beliefs and those of their school system regarding curriculum issues. Vision and mission will be identified and analyzed. Candidates will become familiar with current theories and best practices in curriculum development while applying that knowledge to their own experiences as school professionals. Candidates will use this understanding of curriculum and instruction to focus on the role of the principal as the instructional (learning) leader. Candidates will be introduced to developing skills to support and guide faculty to improve literacy instruction, math instruction, and student achievement through improving lesson planning, assessments, and instruction. Candidates will develop knowledge and skills in assisting staff to provide quality instruction for each student and staff member in a safe and bully free climate and culture for learning.

This introductory course will explore the important role of leadership within the principalship. Candidates will examine what it means to be a school leader, specifically that of a principal. The role of the principal as one who creates a vision and mission of an educationally effective culture for learning and teaching while planning resources for the success of each adult and student within the organization is an integral part of the learning process. The course is designed to help candidates develop the competencies administrators need in order to meet the everyday demands of the job. National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Building Level Standards will be studied and aligned to beginning leadership as a principal. Team-building, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (21st Century Thinking Skills) will be incorporated as a means to assist principals while serving as a learning leader. This is a required, pre-admission course to the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership Program at North Park University.

This course is designed to provide aspiring principals with the skills necessary to review, analyze, interpret, implement, and disseminate assessment results for school improvement. The educational leader will develop skills in using meaningful data to drive, guide, and support school improvement decisions. The principal, as assessment leader, will develop skills to assist teachers in utilizing assessment data to identify needs and align instruction. Educational leaders must promote the success of each student by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning. School improvement initiatives are frequently centered on student assessment and achievement results and data. Candidates are expected to demonstrate the learned skills necessary to select, develop, and interpret assessment methods. Candidates will demonstrate use of data to improve valid, reliable, and fair measures of educational achievement targets and to develop assessment strategies for effective integration and implementation of assessment plans.

This course provides a foundation and an applied practice approach for understanding and using concepts of leading professional learning communities (PLC) in PK 12 schools. The emphasis of this course is on the school as a learning community. Candidates will examine what school leaders do to support professional development as a process to enhance classroom practice and improve students’ learning and school success. PLCs are becoming more commonplace in schools as school principals work for sustained school improvement.

This course provides candidates with an in-depth overview of the importance of community involvement in developing effective schools and transformational change. Candidates will examine ways in which to involve parents, students, staff, and members of the wider community in the schools. Techniques will be developed for creating effective parent-teacher administrator communication, two-way communication, and fostering positive school-community relations. An analysis of a school crisis plan and effective website are included in this course.

This course provides students with a comprehensive examination of the interaction between the school and educational law. Board policy will be included as a basis of operating principles for educational leaders. Candidates will analyze suggested resources and be able to locate sources for use within this subject area.

This course examines the history of school finance with emphasis on the significant role of funding public education. The identification and analysis of local, state, and national school funding sources will be examined and adapted to create a school budget. The role of public constributions to the budget as well as local revenue streams will be included in analyzing a local school budget. Emphasis will be given to the role the school building administrator plays in development and implementation of the school budget. The principal’s role in the budgeting process will be highlighted and examined as a leader in the financial operations of a school.

This course is designed to provide PK 12 principal candidates an introduction to school supervision/evaluation of certified and non certified staff. Supervision strategies will be developed and practiced with a focus on school improvement through teaching, learning, and professional development. Supervision of certified staff is based on research-based frameworks and reflects the standards required in Illinois School Code Part 50. The PK-12 principal candidate will learn various theories of supervision and develop the skills necessary for observation and teacher evaluation. Aspiring principals will apply theory to practice in an instructional setting during a mock evaluation cycle. Prior to licensure, a candidate must pass the state mandated licensure for evaluation (AA-2001 in Illinois) course as required by each state.

This course is designed as the Capstone experience in the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership Program. Candidates will be required to analyze, synthesize and apply all of the learning from coursework, field experiences, and the internship, as well as their own professional experience. Candidates will be expected to finalize a personal statement of leadership skills, reflect on their own professional dipositions as an educational leader, and finalize a professional portfolio as evidence of their work in leading schools. Candidates will show evidence of accomplishments and reflection through use of an electronic portfolio.

A quality internship program creates the opportunity for aspiring principals to demonstrate, under the guidance of an experienced and trained school leader and a university supervisor, that they have mastered the necessary knowledge and skills to change schools and classrooms and can apply these skills effectively in a school setting where they must work with real teachers to accelerate student achievement. This course is designed to provide opportunities for the candidate to observe, participate in, and lead real school change activities in diverse school settings and to receive frequent and meaningful feedback from experienced and successful principals and university supervisors. This is the first of two internship courses. Candidates will complete their internship in public or nonpublic schools for a sustained, continuous, structured and supervised experience, with leadership experiences at all levels, PK-12. Candidates must participate in activities that are directly related to the provision of instruction and lead instructional activities for general education, special education, bilingual education, and gifted education teachers. The internship aligns with newly required National Educational Leadership Preparation Program (NELP) and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (CRTL).

A quality internship program creates the opportunity for aspiring principals to demonstrate, under the guidance of an experienced and trained school leader and a university supervisor, that they have mastered the necessary knowledge and skills to change schools and classrooms and can apply these skills effectively in a school setting where they must work with real teachers to accelerate student achievement. This course is designed to provide opportunities for the candidate to observe, participate in, and lead real school change activities in diverse school settings and to receive frequentand meaningful feedback from experienced and successful principals and university supervisors. This is the second internship course. Candidates must have prior approval from the Program Coordinator to register for Internship II. Candidates will complete their internship in public or nonpublic schools for a sustained, continuous, structured and supervised experience, with leadership experiences at all levels, PK 12. Candidates must participate in activities that are directly related to the provision of instruction and lead instructional activities for general education, special education, bilingual education, and gifted education teachers. The internship aligns with newly required National Educational Leadership Preparation Program (NELP) and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (CRTL).