Educational Leadership the Masters of Education (M.Ed.)

¶ … Educational Leadership

The Masters of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational leadership is designed to assist aspiring school administrators in synthesizing and utilizing current research trends to practical real world environments. The purpose of this essay is to summarize the activities and learning achievements that were developed in understanding new competencies related to educational leadership. This essay will explore the five prescribed program outcomes and how I approached these outcomes with artifacts designed to illuminate the lessons behind the program outcomes. This essay will document the program activities that were specifically tailored to address each of the program outcomes.

Outcome 1: Visionary Leadership

The program Visionary Leadership is based on the ideals that school administrators drive the processes behind the educational system. Creating a goal or wide spanning objective that resonates with the entire school and community is the essence of this program outcome. Developing visionary leadership skills requires school administrators to develop plans and models that can allow the plan to materialize and blossom. Additionally, this program outcome intends to assist this process by self-reflection through the monitoring of the efficiency and effectiveness of the mission and vision as it is carried out.

The concepts behind this program outcome are somewhat vague, which provides many of the projects and investigations involved in this course applicable to this outcome. Essentially, this is the most important aspect of educational leadership because everything begins at the top and rolls downstream. The importance of leaders performing in an honest and ideal fashion is critical in executing any mission or vision. Words themselves are meaningless without action, and visionary leadership must create tangible results.

This program outcome was represented in the artifact that was created in the progress monitoring program that was designed to address the enhancement of academic outcomes, the very purpose of education itself. This activity was technology driven and was based in finding trends and within data recorded. Using standardized test scores in accordance with statistical inference allows the progress of students to be objectively attained and measured.

This activity represents a directed and concerted effort to address the key component in educational system. Assessment performed in this fashion demonstrates the leadership emphasis on academic achievement and the importance of success in reaching goals. Progress monitoring also can include the parents of the families in a new way, strengthening the bond between family and school that is necessary to create an effective learning environment.

Outcome 2: Instructional Leadership

The program outcome, Instructional Leadership, suggests that administrators need to be proficient at the actual art of teaching. Problem solving skills are tested in this program outcome, as discrete and approachable problems are solved with appropriate leadership skills and activities. This program outcome intends that students become more involved in the decision making and strategic formulation of curriculum and lesson planning to best enhance the educational experience. Other key components of this outcome is the ability to formulate teams to address instructional issues and to fairly and competently assess student's performance.

The activity of curriculum mapping was chosen to align itself with the program outcome of instructional leadership. Being a 7th grade ELA teacher I participate in the formulation and development of curriculum at my school. I participate in this activity with the other ELA teachers and the assistant principal. This process is designed to create a curriculum map that assists in formulating appropriate lessons that are aligned with school objectives. This is the essence of instructional leadership.

These mapping sessions are strategic in nature and compose the base work of all the lessons that will be taught in the ELA program at our school. This team effort approach allows individuals within the mapping group to apply their own special skills. It takes instructional leadership, however to synthesize and compose these elements into a practical force that can be used effectively and efficiently.

To illuminate the importance of this process, the curriculum maps themselves can be referenced to help demonstrate the skill and care that is dedicated to these efforts. These maps are based in 7th grade reading and demonstrate the care and detail that went into the planning processes associated with this activity. In order to fulfill the outcomes, the maps themselves allow teachers to insert their own subjective and personal insights into their own class while still maintaining organizational standards. The most important aspect of this activity is striking a tempered balance that represents the total qualities of the faculty involved in the mapping planning and process itself.

Outcome 3: Administrative and Ethical Leadership

The program outcome Administrative and Ethical Leadership demonstrated the need for leadership outside the classroom. This masters program, by applying the concepts contained in this outcome, attempts to demonstrate the idea of total leadership, in and outside the classroom. The ethical qualities associated with this outcome also provide unique challenges to the student as many personal ideals and attitudes must be challenged and discovered to determine best courses of action.

This program outcome is based on the ideas of culture and environment. Ultimately, a strong school leader must be able to create a learning environment that promotes fairness, safety and encouragement. School leaders must remember that one of the most important aspects of education is being and advocate for the students. This means that teachers must often make sacrifices in personal judgment to do the right thing.

To address this program outcome, the artifact that applies to this area involved discipline referral. The tricky subject of administering discipline in today's school's system exposes the many risks and problems if this process is not performed in a fair and ethical manner. The rights of students are important and need to be recognized, however an undisciplined environment serves no body in any complete way, requiring school leaders to apply reason and sound judgment learned thorough experience and wisdom to master this outcome.

To demonstrate the importance of this subject, a case study was used to help promote the ideals of discipline referral. This exercise chronicled the typical problems that school leaders may face when dealing with discipline issues in a modern age. This study examined the problems of undisciplined students acting out and causing major problems including threatening violence. This case study represented many instances of discipline problems at my school and provided a very realistic training tool to explore the issues behind administrative and ethical leadership issues.

The case study required me to create a discipline referral process that can be applied in real life if necessary. By integrating the actual district and city polices that applied to my school, I was able to develop a plan that met the unique circumstances of the problems child depicted in the case study. This guiding influence led me to create a referral program based on qualitative levels of behavior that depict the intensity of the problems. This program directly supported the ideas behind the program outcome by " creating a learning culture inclusive of operations and resources for an efficient and effective learning experience to enhance academic achievement for all students."

The case study also introduced the idea of culture and race as an important concept within the ethical considerations of a discipline referral program. The current state of race relations within the culture has not impacted my educational experiences in any dramatic manner, however, the risk of such problems are very great and to understand the importance of ethical and racial diversity within the classroom is necessary for school leaders to reasonably approach problems that deal with such issues/

Outcome 4: School and Community Leadership

The program outcome, School and Community Leadership, asks the student to explore the environment outside the school and into the general environment. The impact of the community on the educational system is very strong and in order to achieve at the highest levels, it is necessary for school leaders to build and foster strong relationships within the general community. By addressing school issues at the community level, school leaders promote the ideas of respect and fairness throughout the school by demonstrating the collective needs and wants of a strong school system. We are only as strong as the weakest among us, and the community can only be as strong as the schools that educate their children within that given environment.

School and community leadership also requires master's students to develop stronger communication skills that use a wide variety of methods and techniques. The unique atmosphere of a middle school, requires a different sort of communication skills than those working within the general culture or society. It is important for school leaders to step out of their comfort zone and address others in a non-school like fashion. This is helpful for both the individual and the school itself due to the demands on leadership such efforts require.

To accomplish this outcome, an attendance reward initiative was created to help illuminate the program outcome objectives. This program required making purchases of trophies to award to students with high attendance percentages. The community involvement portion of this activity required the school leader to go out into the community and find ample rewards for the students.

Three vendors in the community were selected to bid on the trophies. This action allowed the community to become directly involved in the educational processes of the local school. The formations of these types of bonds, business related or not, are key to developing strong binds with the local environment. The effort behind such an activity creates a team atmosphere between individuals and businesses within the general environment and the school leaders directed to teach the children of that environment.

The true benefits of this program are that when students attendance is improved it reflects on the general community itself. Chou & Kou (2012) suggested that "course attendance is an important part of learning and many studies have confirmed a correlation between class attendance and academic performance, having generally found that a student's class attendance has a positive effect on exam performance." (p.194) Epstein & Sheldon also explicitly remarked on this relationship. Their research concluded that "Results indicate that several family -- school -- community partnership practices predict an increase in daily attendance, a decrease in chronic absenteeism, or both. The data suggest that schools may be able to increase student attendance in elementary school by implementing specific family and community involvement activities. Attendance improves when schools take comprehensive approaches to family and community involvement. This means conducting a variety of activities that involve students, parents, and community partners in support of good attendance," (p. 317).

Outcome 5: Social, Political and Legal Leadership

The program outcome, Social, Political and Legal Leadership, asks the masters student to truly take a leading role within society. This course outcome mandated that students establish partnership with social, political and community leaders to garner resources and create strong relationships that foster the growth and performance of the school. This outcome tests the students ability to synthesize ideas about politics, social and economic issues that transcend the school environment itself. This course outcome requires the student to promote visionary leadership outside the classroom into realms of influence and power.

To demonstrate this course outcome, our school served as a fund raising vehicle for Relay for Life, a nationwide event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. This acitivity raised money by selling representative "feet" for the relay event. The fundraising effort lasted one month. The school was designated by the event to assist in providing space for the race and the administrative duties that accompanied this relay event.

School personnel and faculty including myself, also helped organize the race and perform duties in support of the event. Other fundraising efforts were also coordinated with a direct asking campaign that I was a part of and helped administer. The day of the race was very rewarding and after a long and arduous three months, our school demonstrated many of the key qualities noted in the program outcome related to social and political events.

By serving the community in a different way and providing direct economic resources to other social problems, our school in general, fosters the stewardship of the school vision by incorporating other important stockholders within the social and political community. The Relay for Life involved several strategic partnerships in our community, including partnerships with local businesses. Politicians also were present at this event. Our school served essentially as a political platform for these politicians to do their job and outreach with the community .Nearly five hundred people from the neighborhood and the local schools attended the Relay for Life demonstrating the strong impact a school with ample leadership may accomplish when directed with correct principles and guidance.

Table

Educational Leadership Program Outcome

Selected Artifact

Rationale For Artifact

Visionary Leadership

Progress Monitoring Program

This activity enabled me to apply the ideas behind creating a vision as a quality necessary for school leadership.

Instructional Leadership

Curriculum Mapping,

Appendix A, Curriculum Maps.

This activity expressed the creation of curriculum, a core component of this program outcome.

Administrative and Ethical Leadership

Discipline Referral

This activity demonstrated the importance of fairness and diversity with administrative leadership.

School and Community Leadership

Attendance Award Initiative.

Epstien & Sheldon (2002) article.

This program involved the entire community and provides leadership consistent with the program objectives.

Social, Political and Legal Leadership

Relay for Life. Appendix B Relay for life flyer.

This activity branched out into the political and social environment beyond the school itself, creating a useful program to reach the class objectives.

Grade 7 Writing Curriculum Map Unit 1

Unit 1: Personal Narrative

(September/October)

English Teachers: D. Greenberg, T. Marielli, D. Pasquale, A. Wells

Current CCSS Standards Grade 7

CCSS Standard for Grade 8

CCSS#ELA-Literacy.W.7.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point-of-view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.

d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

CCSS#ELA-Literacy.W.8.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point-of-view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.

d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

Thematic Focus: Writers use the conventions of the narrative genre of writing to create and share stories based on real or imagined experiences.

Essential Questions

1. How can experiences from our own lives serve as inspiration for a narrative (story)?

2. How can we effectively use various skills, strategies, and techniques we have learned to write a well organized narrative?

3. How does a writer use sequential words and transitions to clearly develop the sequence/order sequence of events?

4. How can we use the creation of a narrator to create a context for our audience?

5. How can we use precise and descriptive language to effectively communicate the ideas, the action, and emotions in our story?

Content

Skills

Resources

Assessments/Products

Main Selections:

Teacher Generated Model Texts

"The Portrait"

Nikolai Gogol

Short Story

Among the Hidden

Science Fiction

Jefferson: Architect of Freedom

Biography

"An American Childhood"

Annie Dillard

State a main idea and support it with details

Use a variety of resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses and/or computer software to vary vocabulary and spell words correctly

Use resources, such as personal experiences and themes from model texts, to stimulate writing

Produce personal narratives that show insight, development, organization, and effective use of grade-appropriate language.

"ARMS"

Mneumonicdevide introduced to help during revision and editing (Add, Remove, Move, Substitute)

Descriptive word list including those that describe five senses.

Varied vocabulary lists/thesaurus for substitutions for commonly overused words.

Exemplary short story to use as model text.

Common Core State Aligned Rubric.

Differentiated Resources/Scaffolds

ELL Vocabulary Poster for vocabulary

Formative Assessment

Graded pre-writing activities (i.e., "seed" journals, graphic organizers, idea inventories, etc.).

Identify grade level vocabulary learned through main selections.