Special emphasis will be on candidate development as a teacher leader professional and/or candidate’s implementation of professional development and analysis for teachers.

This course provides an overview of the identification, assessment, and instructional needs of English language learners at the elementary and secondary levels. The importance of culture in addressing the educational and social needs of immigrant students is explored. Candidates will investigate strategies to assess and teach English language skills to limited English proficient students. Accommodations for content area lessons and assessments to foster the success of all students in a multi-language, multi-ethnic learning community are also included.

This course examines the roles of educational leaders as they express and impact the values of the communities of learners served by the school systems. The core of the course is the social contract between the school and the public.  Ethical dilemmas are presented for critique and analysis.  Applications are made to the realities of the educational and governmental entities.

This course will focus on various issues of teaching and learning and the process of transforming subject matter knowledge into teaching materials and instructional strategies for secondary and middle school classrooms. Stressing the needs of secondary school students, particularly considering them as learners and knowers as well as members of communities, this course will give participants experiences and practice in the design and development of lesson plans and various instructional methodologies. This course offers candidates the opportunity to develop skills in several aspects of the classroom discipline: teaching strategies, learning styles, evaluation of students, and current secondary school trends.

School law provides an overview and analysis of selected general legal principles, case and statutory law, and policy making agencies affecting the legal operation of the school.  Course content is designed for the critical and practical application of school law for the educator who will be leading and managing the human enterprise of schooling.

This course will explore processes and strategies for incorporating collaboration in schools and communities, as well as various aspects of communication and how it functions formally and informally in the educational environment. This course will also provide opportunities for participants to investigate communication skills in interpersonal, group, and public contexts, as well as how to effectively communicate with the media.

The exploration and examination of schools and school communities as complex and diverse sociocultural entities will serve as the foundation of this course. Candidates will integrate theoretical and practical implications of schools and school communities with fieldwork to better understand their role as educational leaders.

This course covers the development in educational institutions in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasis is placed on the social and cultural context in which educational institutions arose to meet the needs of society. Trends are examined in the growth of systems of organization, curriculum, methodology, and legal and financial supports.

This course explores the organizational systems in public and private educational institutions.  School culture, communication structures, theoretical basis for practice and transformation, and state and federal mandates are emphasized.  The functions of organizations are examined through a critical lens in order to raise questions regarding power and implications for social justice, equity, and meeting the needs of a diverse population.

This course explores methodologies for the design and implementation of classroom practices that meet the needs of diverse learners and lead to an improved educational environment. Candidates study a variety of instructional strategies and various methods of assessing student performance. Candidates will also learn how to evaluate classroom practices, curriculum, and assessment tools as they relate to learning standards.

This course is designed to be a comprehensive study of the process of curriculum development that leads to relevant instruction and assessment of student learning in diverse settings.  It is an introduction to the nature of curriculum leadership as it relates to school improvement, instruction, technology, and transformational practice.  Theoretical bases and historical perspectives are presented in terms of transmission of cultural values, power, status, and societal norms.

This course examines the fiscal basis of American schools. The local, state, and federal sources of funding public schools are studied. Candidates will be involved in a critical analysis of resource allocation for schools to better understand the political underpinnings of school funding. Candidates will investigate the areas of adequacy and equity and explore ways to address these issues.

Candidates will examine equality and equity issues within various curriculum and pedagogical theories. An exploration of contemporary issues in curriculum design and instructional practice with a focus on community will be included.

This course is designed to acquaint the pre-service Special Education administrator and pupil personnel staff administrator with the Federal and State of Illinois laws, court decisions, and compliance mandates regarding the financing of Special Education Services in the Illinois public school system. The candidate will be exposed to the various funding sources available to provide Special Education Services and the mandates for applying for these funds. The candidate will be provided "hands on" experiences in preparing Special Education IDEA grants and also forms of applications including private and residential placements, Illinois Care Grants, transportation, and the use of RTI discretionary funds.

This course will examine the historical, sociopolitical, and legal implications of the impact of assessment practices for students with diverse and unique learning needs, including second language learners and those with identified disabilities. Participants will explore and critique the current uses of high stakes testing through the lens of equitable and just educational practice in order to develop a thoroughly well-researched philosophical position on assessment of diverse learners.

This course provides an overview of principles of research and the history and practice of research in educational settings as a tool for leadership and change.  The candidate selects a topic that addresses an issue or concern affecting the learning community or education professional.  Through examination, participation, and application, the graduate candidate will develop a research proposal project that will reflect his or her understanding of how research can be applied in school settings for improvement of educational practices and processes.

This course explores various paradigms in multiculturalism with an emphasis on critical multiculturalism. Critical multiculturalism links multiculturalism education with wider issues of power, including socioeconomic and political quality. Minority groups in contemporary society are studied and include an examination of issues related to race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, age, language, gender, and religion.

This course focuses on the transformative role of the principal, who is charged with the responsibility of improving teaching and increasing student achievement through effective and continuous professional development. It explores leadership and supervisory behavior that promotes social justice and fosters a culture of empowerment and collaboration. Formative and summative evaluation will be explored in both clinical and differentiated settings. The teacher evaluation process, as defined by Illinois Statute, will be addressed.

Critical Transformative Leadership addresses the meaning and purpose of leadership in schools and communities. There is an urgent need for school leaders to not only learn about the needs and inequities in schools, but to also engage a critical theoretical lens to guide their practice. Principal and teacher leaders are critically important in establishing an ethic of care given the complexity fo the current state of educations and schooling. The course will examine the context of leadership in schools and communities, engage broad understandings of leadership, and explore ways to navigate the challenges inherent in the practice.

The creation and administration of systems of support for educational programs that serve unique learners at the local, state, and federal levels is reviewed. Emphasis is given to laws, mandates, policies, and procedure. In addition, collaboration with general education, professional development, fiscal management, and legal implications are considered.

This course is a survey course intended to be of value to candidates wishing to explore practical applications of selected principles and theories from the areas of education, psychology, and the behavioral sciences to the field of counseling. The course covers significant aspects of group counseling, rehabilitation counseling, family counseling, counseling over a life span, crisis intervention counseling, cross-cultural counseling, personal counseling, and community counseling. Emphasis, however, is given to the counseling processes that are directly related to special education roles.

Through the examination of current research in teaching, learning, and leadership, candidates will apply research-based solutions to current issues within their school, district, and/or school community.

The principal internship classes (58800/58900) are designed to provide a pre-endorsement clinical experience that gives an opportunity for the candidate, as a future administrator, to exercise the knowledge, skill, and attitudes engendered in program courses, in a field-based setting. The candidate will participate in leadership experiences in preK-12 school settings.  The internship provides the candidate with a standards-based, data-driven leadership, participation, and observation experience in leadership activities in school administration under the guidance of an experienced internship mentor and University faculty supervisor. These activities will include, but not be limited to, school improvement planning, hiring of staff, and supervision and evaluation of instructional personnel. The candidate will also garner a variety of leadership experiences in instructional leadership for literacy and numeracy improvement and the specific areas of ESL, special education, and gifted programming at the preK-12 levels. The candidate will also be involved in leadership experiences in the areas of technology and bullying prevention programming.

The principal internship classes (58800/58900) are designed to provide a pre-endorsement clinical experience that gives an opportunity for the candidate, as a future administrator, to exercise the knowledge, skill, and attitudes engendered in program courses, in a field-based setting. The candidate will participate in leadership experiences in preK-12 school settings.  The internship provides the candidate with a standards-based, data-driven leadership, participation, and observation experience in leadership activities in school administration under the guidance of an experienced internship mentor and University faculty supervisor. These activities will include, but not be limited to, school improvement planning, hiring of staff, and supervision and evaluation of instructional personnel. The candidate will also garner a variety of leadership experiences in instructional leadership for literacy and numeracy improvement and the specific areas of ESL, special education, and gifted programming at the preK-12 levels. The candidate will also be involved in leadership experiences in the areas of technology and bullying prevention programming.

This course is a study or project done under the direction of a member of the Department of Educational Leadership.